Young Justice: Ultimate End
by 74jc
Summary: They learned about it so long ago. Rip Hunter has just come to inform them it's coming, as well as share even harsher truths. Luthor fusing with Brainiac, Roy's betrayal, both of them, Hotstreak's reform, the introduction of the teen titans to the world, everything pales in comparison to whats coming. U-day is here.
1. Author note

Hello people! Thanks so much for all the follows and favs of my last story. I try to play with as much canon as I can, but issues arise whenever you use four or five different canons, but I did that on purpose so I could add a little me to. But without any further adue I will begin posting a chapter every other day, save writers block. It's been a little over a year in our world a little more in theirs but it's almost time for U-day. follow fav and review.


	2. New beginnings

It was a cloudless, pitch black night as the Ha Ha's and Funnymen argued and fought over territory in the shipyard. As four young heroes approached them from the darkness. "Outlaws this is Oracle, report." One by one they sounded their codenames quietly into their microphones. Red Hood, genetically modified to have the same physical abilites as Dick Grayson, Jason Todd has his own way of doing things (even if it's sometimes just to hear Dick complain). Arsenal, At first thought to be a clone, Roy 'William' Harper was soon discovered to be the original, deciding to keep the name Will he now uses any leads he can find to hunt down Slade. Hotstreak, long time enemy and rival of former Ultiman Static, Francis is being taught the error of his ways by non other than Firestorm. Artemis, daughter of Sportsmaster, as well as Cheshire's sister, darkness runs in her blood. Artemis however has choosen not to give into it. "Copy, now listen Outlaws you wait for the Titans, understood?"

"What was that Oracle don't wait for the Titans? Whatever you say your the bossy one. Outlaws Strike!" Red Hood jumped from his hiding position and began tranqing anyone outside of his reach, and they were some of the lucky ones. Arsenal came out firing stun blasts from his arm and a handheld blaster, exceedingly enjoying himself. Hotstreak charged the gangs surrounding many of them with a dome of fire.

"Don't worry boys, I'll move it after you pass out. If I remember." Francis started to walk away when an entire side of his dome turn to ice and melted away.

"Don't worry about it Hotsauce I remembered for you." Artemis announced as she fired a trick arrow filled with knock out gas into a crowd of her own. "Ugh, why did I have to get stuck with all the crazies who don't even know how to follow instructions! Hey Hood there are a lot more of these guys than we thought." Artemis yelled to the teams leader. Jason scoffed.

"Your not afraid of these vermin are you?"

"Enough vermin and you have a plauge dumbass, they're swarming us. We should have waited for the Titans."

"I don't need Mysto Bimbo and her group of extras!" Red Hood shouted as he took a lead pipe to the back of the head and several boots to his sides.

"etativel Der Dooh." Jason found himself floating away from his would be attackers right into the face of Zatanna, and wished he was still getting beat on. "Mysto Bimbo and her groups of extras? Red would you mind if we hung out after this mission?"

"Z can we talk about this.. uh.. not at all?" Red Hood tried to ask without sounding to desperate.

"Oh I think the remaining Outlaws and the **extras** have it covered. I'll come find you later, don't make it difficult. Pord Ssadmub." Without so much as a warning Jason fell out of the sky, thankfully somebody spent their childhood as a circus preformer. Looking up at his fellow team leader he had to ask.

"Since when can you cuss in your incantations?" Zatanna declined to answer him as she joined the fray with the rest of her team. Cyborg, the half man,-half machine hero who'd fought Deathstroke along side Robin and Arsenal. Raven, the demoness who saved Zatanna and even forced Klarion to back off. Beast Boy, after suffering serious injury a blood transfusion from Miss Martian gave Garfield Logan the power to change into animals at will, provided he could remain focused. Starfire, after helping Red Arrow and Aqualad, Koriand'r, or Kori, was happy to make friends and join the team. Red Robin, or Tim Drake, having admired the young heroes of Gotham he tried to become like them and in doing so attracted the attention of the Joker, however, that part of his past was behind him and now he was a Titan and Zatanna's second in command. Beast Boy took the form of a goat and began ramming people, while Cyborg and Starfire blasted clown after clown. Raven was easily throwing aside any of the thugs foolish enough to charge her, while Red Robin cleared a path for the rest of the Outlaws to join them, and quickly as it had begun it was over. Cyborg walked over to Beast Boy and looked down at him.  
"Oh, fine." Garfield muttered as he gave Victor a ten dollar bill.

"Whats that about?" Artemis asked.

"I bet Grass stain here ten dollars that the nuts in this town worshipped the Joker." Zatanna landed and marched through the group right up to Cyborg, took the ten out of his hand, and shouted.

"YOUR MAKING STUPID LITTLE SIDE BETS ABOUT OUR MISSIONS!"

"Jeez Zatanna, lighten up. We realize the seriousness and danger of our missions. Thats kind of why we have to joke about them, to ease the pressure so we can do this, plus I already spent my allowance this week."

"Titans and Outlaws, Titans Tower, now. Raven." And at Zatanna's command Raven took all the team members to Titans Tower in Jump City. The tower served a purpose very much like the Hall of Justice, a smoke screen. A public base for P.R. so people could see and get used to the idea of teams of heroes they considered to be sidekicks. In reality it was just a place to catch Zeta Tubes, the home of a few titans, oh, and the sight of Zatanna's practically daily rants.

"Between Red Hood ignoring orders and my own team mates making bets on them I don't know where to begin!" Zatanna began.

"Good then that means I can leave." When Jason started towards the Zeta tube his fellow squad leader shot him a look just daring him to keep going. "Look, I'm not going to take this. When I took charge of a squad I stopped taking orders from members of the team."

"On missions concerning multiple squads we take our cues from Oracle you know that, and if my squad of extras weren't there tonight you'd have been seriously injured at the very least." At that moment Oracle came over the com asking Zatanna and Red Hood to come to the cave. "Well then, good night everyone, and Cyborg, Beast Boy, we'll talk about the betting first thing in the morning, before training, so look forward to it."

Inside Mount Justice the current Oracle, Barbara Gordon was awaiting the arrival of Zatanna and Red Hood with the rest of the current team leaders. Nightwing and Aqualad were deep in talks of their own when Barbara called their attention to herself.

"The League has called an emergency meeting and they want myself and a team leader chosen by the four of you to be in attendance."

"Why you?" Red Hood asks. Dick looked at Jason clueless as to how he became a squad leader.

"Oracle oversees all of us, and the four of us choosing one to represent all of us shows a sign of great respect."

"I would suggest you my friend." Kaldur voted aloud. Zatanna looked around at her choices and she too thought Dick was the best.

"Well if it wasn't you it'd be me, and I don't wanna do it." Jason added.

"Well now that that is decided. We need to leave now they're waiting." As Dick and Barbara entered the watchtower they were met with this years holder of the consultant's chair of the league's head committee. "Felicity, how are you?" Barbara asked the Atom's wife.

" ." Dick added.

"Hey guys I've been better. An old friend is here and to be honest I don't think anyone is going to like what he has to say." had had the pleasure of watching two kids turn into the great heroes who stood before her.

"How bad can it be, considering how often we deal with some nut trying to blow up the planet?" Barbara added. Felicity looked at her for a moment before replying.

"Well I guess that depends on how you feel about Pinocchio." Inside the meeting room the council was, mostly, already seated. The Green Arrow, Catwoman, Red Tornado, Vibe, returned to active duty, and sitting at the head of the table was Superman, known to friends and family as Clark Kent. However these heroes were not the focus of the new arrivals' attention. Standing a few feet in front of the table facing it was Rip Hunter, a Time Master. As the last arrivals took their seats the time master addressed the room.

"Now that everyone is here I'll begin. In the very near future an event will take place that ends not only this existence, but all of every creation. I believe you may already even be aware of it."

"You mean U-day." Green Arrow deduced. Rip took in his one time friend.

"Yes as a matter of fact I do. This event ends all of everything so naturally even we agreed to infinte do-overs, but a being beyond creation as we know it has warned us another reset will not be tolerated so this try, this timeline, is our last try, hence actually telling all of you about it."

"If we've really already done this so many times and still haven't won maybe we're not meant to. Sometimes things are beyond even our control." Superman added.

"If that were true I wouldn't be here. You see the time master's base exists right at the edge of time, this event, this U-day is only a short time from now."

"How long do we have?" Cisco asked.

"I don't know exactly anything we've changed has always shifted around the exact date." Rip replied.

"If you guys are this powerful why haven't you just taken over our lives and made us stop this before it gets to that point?" Oracle asked.

"They've tried it didn't work." Catwoman interjected, then turned to Rip. "My question is what else have you tried?"

"You've truly turned into the best version of yourselves by this point in time, we've pulled strings to make heroes who shouldn't exist for decades exist now, to give new abilites and skills to heroes who did exist, even going as far as to make sure certains heroes who were unique to the multiverse exist here in double. I admit it we've manipulated you in every possible way we could manipulate you and still we failed. I come to you now to truly place the fate of everything in your hands." Temporarily forgetting that he's supposed to be a team leader and a composed adult Nightwing marches forward and forces Rip against the wall by his collar.

"How long?"

"I'm afraid I don't quite.." Dick slammed him into the wall once more much harder causing Superman and Vibe to get to their feet.

"Don't lie to me, how long?" Rip sighed and gave the young man what he was looking for.

"In order to shape each of you as we have we had to start decades before any of you were even born." No one in the room could believe it.

"Some of the league are centuries old." Barbara exclaimed.

"I know." The captain of the Waverider replied.

"Why?" Nightwing glared. Again Rip Hunter knew what he was really asking and had already prepared himself to answer questions like this from most of the justice league.

"Because like it or not Nightwing is more important than John and Mary Grayson."


	3. Old Pains

Thea entered the recently reclaimed and refurbished Queen Mansion. It was the home and base of nearly all of Team Arrow. Roy and Will's rooms were in the east upper wing, while Thea's and the recently returned Artemis's rooms were in the lower east wing. Oliver and Laurel kept the west wing virtually to themselves as even the kitchen and training areas were also located in the east wing. It had taken an act of congress to get Ollie to agree to the ruse, but Batman never lost an argument. As far as the rest of the world was concerned Oliver Queen bumped into complete stranger Bruce Wayne egos and tempers flared causing a high stakes poker game that Bruce 'lost'. Speedy walked through the manor knowing exactly where to find them. Just as predicted there sat Roy and Will inside one of several rooms hidden throughout the house, namely the crime lab. It had been this way for years now Will had become obsessed with tracking down Deathstroke, and Roy had convinced himself that Slade Wilson was the second person to steal Will's life. No matter how many times he was told Arsenal had already been abducted before he even met Thea, the first person he ever met in Star City. And it began again Thea's dayly, seemingly pointless attempt to get the guys back to themselves. Will's obsession with revenge had destroyed many of his relationships, and Roy's growing obsession with Will had destroyed his relationship with Thea. Even so she still cared for them.

"Hey boys, nothing good on tv?" Will set down some documents he was going over again.

"Do you have a mission for us Speedy?"

"No I just thought you guys might wanna get out of the house for a while. Ollie and Kara are patroling Starling so I doubt he's going to need any back up. Not to mention Verdant's been reopened for a while now and none of us have even set foot inside yet." It was now Roy who turned away from crime scene photos he was scrutinizing.

"Thea we'd love to really but we think we've got something. We've almost got Slade pinned down this time." Thea had heard this before. Slade was always moving, always improving, and with his powers restored a serious threat. However..

"You know, you guys should ask Ollie how well obsessing over Slade Wilson works out. You should already know Roy."

"So should he?" Roy shot back.

"Excuse me?" Will and Roy exchange a glance and a nod before the crimson archer continues.

"I took his life Thea. I have everything that was ever meant for him. And when we find this out does he want it back? No. Does he even want **his** first name? No. So when he tells me the only thing he does want is help taking down the man responsible for killing the woman he loved, **our friend** , what right do I have to say no." Speedy stepped forward and stared down the Harpers.

"Sin was my friend to. Slade is my enemy to. That bastard took my mother from me. But he is not going to take away my life."

"We'd never let him hurt you." Will replied.

"That's not what I mean Will. Look at yourselves, You don't talk to anyone, you don't come out of this room unless it's to train or fight. Deathstroke has already taken your lives, he took them when your obsession with him took over them." William dropped his documents and walked over to Thea.

"If I get to take down Deathstroke then I don't care."

"Take down how, Will? If your gonna do it, you shouldn't be scared to say it." Speedy challenged.

"I am going to kill Slade Wilson. I am going to choke the life out of him with my human arm so I can feel him take his last breath."

"And your absolutely thrilled to follow him."

"Thea, we appriciate what your trying to do, but maybe you should go to Verdant with someone else." Was all Roy said as he turned back to his photos.

"Guess I should."

Having given tonight her best shot, and fully prepared to try again tomorrow, Thea called a few friends and went to Verdant with Artemis, Zatanna, Helena, and Megan Morse arm in arm with boy friend Connor Kent. Being the owner and a vigilante Thea had a sound proof office with a few speakers playing the same music in the club downstairs. "I just don't know what to do with them. I think I'm starting to wear Roy down, but if anything I feel like I'm just adding fuel to Will's fire." Huntress raised her glass.

"At least your still trying Thea. Never give up on the one's you love." Artemis couldn't ignore that.

"Come on Helen even you gotta admit you can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped. The only thing that is going to appease them is Slade. I can't believe you still want to help them after Roy..."

"Roy made a mistake, which is why I can't be with him, but I'm not going to ignore him destroying himself because of it." Thea interjected.

"He may have done it to distance himself from you." Connor spoke up the lone male among the sea of estrogen.

"You really think he did that to protect her?" Helena asked calmly enough.

"It kind of makes sense. When I was going through my own self deprivation I once even brain blasted the team just to keep them from learning what I really am." M'gann added.

"You've been awfully quiet Z. Don't tell me your tired I was at the same gang war as you, and I'm fine." Zatanna blinked several times as though just now seeing the people she sat with.

"Sorry I was just thinking." Thea and Atremis both shot looks at Miss Martian who projected into both of their heads.

" _Ask her._ " Suddenly Helena gawked at Zatanna.

"Z, why didn't you tell us?" She said aloud.

"Tell us what?" Thea finally asked out loud. Sighing the sorceress replied.

"Today is my dad's birthday."

"Oh my god Z, and all we've been doing is talking about Roy and Will. Is there anything we can do for you?"

"As a matter of fact Queen there is? Grab everyone another round of drinks and find us on the dance floor." The daughter of Zatara said as she got up and strut out the door.

"There is a lot more inner conflict than she is letting oooon, Connor what are you doing?" Superboy had gotten to his feet and was attempting to bring Miss Martian with him.

"Z doesn't want to talk about her father, she wants to have fun with her friends. So let's do like the lady asked and meet her on the dance floor." M'gann smiled at her boyfriend and raced after Zatanna. Thea stood and started to the door stopping only to ask.

"Are you two coming?"

"Yeah, but there is something I want to talk to Artemis about really quick." After Artemis and Wally began dating the increased exposure to each other had a positve affect on Huntress and The Emerald Archette.

Speedy walked down to the bar and started to order her drinks until a young man with short black hair, and wearing mostly black, his only color coming from a brown and gray jacket he had on over his t-shirt.

"You really don't have to do that."

"Oh I know, but how often does anyone offer to buy drinks for Thea Queen." He replied. Thea coouldn't stop the smirk that formed on her lips, or the sass that came from her lips.

"A lot more than you'd think. You see some losers think a couple of drinks is all it takes to get in my trust fund." The newcomer didn't even flinch.

"And her I thought they'd be doing it to get into your pants."

"Is that why your doing it?" She challenged.

"Well." He began. "I'd be lying if I said I came over just because your a beautiful woman, but if you just throw yourself at me like that I'm going to lose interest." He quipped returning her own impudence.

"Am I supposed to respond to you insulting me?"

"Who knows, I don't usually try talking to heiresses at bars. Are you asking me to get lost?" He asked mirroring her own smirk.

"I might wanna talk some more, but I'm gonna need a name smart guy." Thea replied.

"I guess thats fair. It's Terry, Terry Mcginnis."

Upstairs and a little while ago Helena and Artemis were having a heart to heart.

"Your thinking of dumping Wally!?" Huntress couldn't believe it. She knew they bickered, but they did that before they ever got together.

"I don't want to but the hero biz is becoming a real issue between us. He wants to quit and I don't, and neither of us wants to do either without the other. Helen I don't know what to do. I can't imagine my life without him, but I can't imagine my life without a bow in my hand either. The arguments have gotten so bad I moved back into the mansion." Helena looked her friend over again and asked her if she and Kid were still working it out. "We still went out for date night, but we barely spoke. I think both of us were afraid to start another fight." Artemis blew a heavy sigh and continued. "Hel, we can't be afraid to talk to each other if we're going to work and thats exactly what we are." Huntress braced herself for the fallout before she said what needed to be said.

"Artemis, I know I'm hardly an expert on relationships my only serious one ending the way it did, but if it comes down to the bow or Wally which are you going to choose?" Artemis was a little a shamed of herself for already having an answer to that question, a little a shamed of what she had chosen.

"The bow. As much as I hate myself for it, being a hero is more important than being Wally West's girlfriend."


	4. Old Friends

"How can they do this Barbara? They have a right to know." Nightwing shouted as he paced back and forth at his apartment in Bludhaven.

"You had your say Dick. You were out voted." Richard Grayson recalled how the rest of the meeting took place.

"Nightwing put him down." G.A. demanded calmly from his chair. Dick growled if he even knew if he was really sticking up for Rip or if the Time Masters had just designed him that way. "Wether I like it or not I was more than likely molded this way, but stop and think about why. U-day is finally coming and it destroys everything. Not the Earth, not the Milky Way, not even just our universe. The Time Masters designed us as the first and last line against a threat to the entire multiverse, that apparently the original us couldn't handle." It was then that added.

"If it's any consolation Mr. Grayson more than once you got to grow up with your parents, until the enevitable apocalypse wiped out your family anyways." Dick forced himself to let go of Rip and return to his seat. "Understand what happens from here on is truly up to you. I've told you all I can. Good luck to you, for all our sakes." With a wave and a few taps on some hand held device Captain Hunter was gone.

"So what are we supposed to do with that?" Vibe asked after their 'guest speaker' had left.

"We shouldn't do anything. He said it himself we're the best version of ourselves already. Anyone we tell could lose the will to fight or worse redirect their energies at the Time Masters." Selena stated.

"Are you being serious right now? Everytime you keep something this big from the people you care about it blows up. Everytime." Felicity fired back. Dick agreed with Cisco and Felicity, everyone else agreed with Selena. The debate was getting heated until perhaps the best point was made by the most powerful in attendance.

"Cisco you may have kept yourself invested in the greater good after learning about Flashpoint and your brother, and Dick your clearly capable of sitting here and discussing this, but everyone isn't. How do you think Arsenal and Red Arrow would react? What about Zatanna? God I love her but even Kara. How do you think Supergirl would take learning Krypton was destroyed because the powers and relationships we make here on Earth are what make us the people needed to prevent whatever's coming. Trust me when I say there isn't much that can get in the way of a mad Kryptonian." With the votes in favor of keeping it quiet Dick could only talk about it with someone who had been in the room, so he invited Barbara back to his apartment while he waited on his girlfriend. Hence the ongoing discussion they were having now.

"How could you agree with them?"

"Because." She replied. "When I was first recruited I wasn't allowed to know who you guys were, why?"

"Selena and Bruce thought you'd mis-use the information and get yourself if not all of us hurt." Dick retorted quickly.

"I have news for you Dick I would have. Sometimes secrets need to be kept." Dick reaffirmed that he didn't agree with the decision, but would honor the choice not to tell anyone. He also asked Barbara to leave as the only girl he really wanted to see tonight was almost here. But as he waited for her to arrive he couldn't stop himself from asking did he really want to see her or was his ties to her just another one of Rip's puzzles pieces that made him 'the best' Nightwing.

"Dick are you okay?" She snuck up on him, he loved it when she snuck up on him. It not only helped him hone his own skills but he was the one who showed her how.

"Hey Kara sorry my head was on a mission."

Static and Gear were also coming off patrol flying into their new headquarters. It was in the same spot as the old one and from the outside even looked the same but now that they were one senior member of the team and the youngest person to ever join the Justuce League (as far as the public knew) their equipment was state of the art. Gear had personally shown his thanks by upgrading the watchtowers security system, a feat that earned him his first trip to the bat cave.

"Virgil, Richie welcome back." Valerie called. Hotstreak and his sister Valerie started living at the gas station shortly after switching sides. It had taken much longer for Richie to trust Francis than it had Virgil, but it was the relationship they had now that bothered Static most of all. Richie walked right up to the girl and returned her greeting.

"Hey Val, your brother back yet?" She beemed at Richie as he smiled back at her, two grinning idiots.

"Yeah your boyfriend is in the shhhooowea." She taunted. Richie only smiled.

"Okay well when he gets out tell him his boyfriend would like to see him before he has to sleep for his early morning classes. If I don't see him first." Virgil felt like he was going to throw up.

"What vile cruel thing did I do to deserve this?" Richie turned to his long time friend with an obvious grimace.

"I didn't think you'd be so homophobic bro."

"It's not that your gay Richie. But Francis!"

"Are you implying I'm to tough to be gay or saying I'm not good enough for your friend, Virgil?" Walking over to the group was none other than the topic of discussion Francis 'Hotstreak' Stone. Not much had changed about Francis's look he no longer dyed parts of his hair yellow even though it was still styled the same way. He still wore a red shirt and brown cargos to battle only now his pants fit. True thanks to the good influences of Firestorm, Static, and most importantly Valerie, Hotstreak was becoming a name synonymus with hero. That however didn't stop Francis and Virgil from arguing. They tried not to let their distaste for each other get to out of hand.

"The latter actually." Static replied.

"Guys, not in front of Valerie." Richie quickly threw out. Francis looked from Virgil to Richie.

"Fine. Valerie if your homework is finished it's time for bed, get." The little girl shot her big brother an indignant look but left with a good night and a hug for everyone before leaving for bed.

"Now where were we?"

"We were trying to figure out why my man Richie doesn't realize he deserves better."

"Guys, not in front of me either! V, you yourself have acknowledged how much Frankys improved. And Hotstreak, Static has been my best friend my whole life he's not going anywhere." Francis's eyes visibly softened as he looked at Richie and took his shoulders.

"I know that and I'm prepared to deal with Virgil for the rest of my life, but Dolla Sign thats not gonna make me like him." The softening of Hotstreak's feature wasn't the only noticeable change in the room. Static was now very obviously green.

"You guys are in fact actually making me sick, I'm out of here." As he turned to leave he stopped and decided to add. "Hey Richie, as long as he makes you happy I'm prepared to put up with Franky for the rest of my life to." Virgil flew off to Francis shouting that only Richie and Val could call him that. He hadn't flown very far when a shadowy figure flew past him. After Static recovered from his shock he realized it was a person in a black suit with some sort of propulsion system in the boots. To his surprise the figure didn't try to escape or turn around for another attack, he mearly landed. Virgil surveyed the surrounding area before meeting his 'wing man' on the ground, and his identity couldn't have shocked Static more. "Batman! But this isn't right you shouldn't exist yet." The figure standing in front of the former Ultiman was clad in black with a dark crimson bat across it's chest. He looked like Batman except he had a full mask and no cape. Virgil had met this very Batman one time he'd been thrown into the future. "How are you here? Why are you here? Whats that?" Before any of his questions could be answered the fast acting sleep toxin had already dropped him on the ground.

"Robin, I have Static bring the Beyond-mobile around. Because Batmobile is taken. Just hurry up and get me."


	5. Family and Clan

Static being taken had yet to be noticed when the team and the league where sent a message by a shadowy figure claiming to have him. It was however quickly confirmed. In a warehouse with his captor was Virgil, sprawled out, seemingly, trying to cover the entire warehouse in his sleep. As he came to he quickly recalled what had happened and jumped to the ready. To find someone who shouldn't even exist standing across from him.

"Hello Virgil, are you aware of just how much you move around in your sleep?" Static wasn't in a jesting mood.

"What the hell man? Damn it Terry if you need some help in the future all you have to do is ask." Terry had already been informed of Static's meeting with the other him.

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news but that was a different universe, not our future. My name is Beyond, and I work with Cadmus not the Justice League. That doesn't mean I'm your enemy Virgil or theirs but Cadmus and the League have to get on the same page." Static heard all he needed to to make up his mind right after, Cadmus.

"If there is one thing I know, and I know it better than most, it's that the league and Cadmus will never be on the same page, and if your not my buddy Terry we're gonna have a whole nother conversation about that knock out agent." Beyond didn't budge.

"Fair enough, but you know we're not the bad guys, or else why aren't you blasting me?"

"You know as often as you cadmus fools remind us 'your not the bad guys' you sure do seem to make most of them."

"We've had a few who have lost their way. What about the league every single one of you does this everyday and then sleeps soundlessly at night."

"We're different!" Virgil shouts.

"Yes you are, but nowhere near as different as you think." As Terry said this a boy dressed up in a modifed version of Dick's old Robin costume showed up out of no where. Maybe it was the addition of the hood but something about this kid gave Virgil the chills.

"They're here. And he should be restrained." Beyond turned to Robin and told him.

"He's not our prisoner, he was just a means of getting their attention, we chose Static because he's already met a version of me and was the most likely to trust me off the bat."

"Which was why we designed your uniform in that manner and why you were able to tranq him. Not an excuse for gossip."

"You guys do know I'm standing right here?" Virgil was now debating which one to blast on principle.

"Sorry Static, your friends are here to get you. Let's go meet them." Static paused only long enough for Beyond and Robin to turn their backs to him before he decided to follow. Standing out in the open waiting for the trio was none other than Nightwing.

"Is the reason you asked for me specifically to get my opinion on your Robin rip off?" Nightwing challenged.

"Watch yourself, I don't need some insipid costume and a bird name. I'm far beyond your level of training." This little prick actually thinks he can take on the first son of Batman, Dick thought to himself.

"Whats the matter Dick you have a hot date with Kara?" Terry had to admit he was a little impressed when Dick's actual name and his 'secret' relationship with Supergirl being put on blast didn't even get a flinch.

"Nice try, but we know you work for Cadmus, so you probably learned our identies from them. But you see Terry Mcginnis we learned who you and Damian Al Ghul were on our way here." The boy dressed as Robin actually smirked.

"Al Ghul? Is that what he told you my name was?"

"Actually we knew you would find out who we all were fairly quickly, but you see your going to help us make sure the rest of the league doesn't." Beyond replied calmly.

"And why the hell would we do that?" Red Hood demanded dropping from the ceiling along side Huntress and Red Robin. "You've got a problem Ter, our Bat-Familys bigger."

"Yeah it is." Even as Terry spoke an obvious Batgirl, and a vigilante in all black save a half skull at the front of his mask, the part of his uniform drawing the most attention was the dominant red xs on his chest and the middle of the skull. They were then joined by a league training bot and Ten of the royal flush gang. "But I don't think ours is to bad. Even comes complete with reformed villain." Virgil was beginning to wonder if it even mattered if he was here until Nightwing growled.

"Where is Static?"

"Right there listening to you two exchange pleasentries." Damien said. "Not exactly the detective your mentor is are you?" Virgil suddenly realized he'd stopped walking at the start of the exchange.

"I'm right here Nightwing."

"Without any broken bones, bruises, or, uncomfortable shackles." Melanie Walker the former Ten of The Royal Flush gang added. Ignoring her Dick turned to Virgil.

"You alright Static?"

"Yeah I feel fine but you might wanna have someone check me out anyways. You know how Cadmus loves their mind control." Dick agreed, because even though Terry promised them his team had done nothing it was less than reassuring.

"Look we're not here to start a copyright hearing but we're going to keep our secret ids from everyone, including the league."

"And what makes you think that you deluded rip off?" Huntress replied.

"Simple actually." Robin began. "If you tell any of your fellow leaguers or team mates who we are, then will will release everyone's secret identies to the public, even our own." Nightwing had to admit there was something about this kid that just made him feel like he was arguing with Bruce. "Naturally we know you don't have the authority to make such a decision Grayson so return to the cave and inform Batman. We will contact you there at precisly 6 a.m.

"That's not even two hours away." Red Robin interjected.

"We'll wait for your call. Just don't be ready for us to just give you what you want."

"I'm sorry we have to talk this way. After I talk with Bruce I hope to reach some common ground." Beyond said as he and Robin threw smoke and vanished.

Back inside the Batcave, in almost record time (the example is Batman), the entire bat-family was already discussing the ultimatum of the bat-clan, as Tim was trying a little to hard to coin.

"Mom you didn't see these guys they're even prepared to dump their own identies." Huntress was informing her mother.

"They just don't want us to tell people who they are. My question is, do we really need to? Bruce might be their best detective but it's not like he's the only one. G.A. and Question could easily find out who these guys are." Jason added.

"And if you think part of the deal won't be stopping that very thing from happening your an even bigger dumbass than Z thinks." Barbara replied.

"I think we should do what they ask Dad." Helena said. "If they show even the slightest sign of being Ultimen second generation we take them down just like the Ultimen."

"Hell yeah, for once I'm with the girl scout." Red Hood exclaimed.

"We're going to take them up on their offer, and attempt to intergrate them into our team." Bruce informed everyone.

"What!?" Dick shouted. "Bruce why the hell would we do that? Selena, you can't possibly agree with this."

"Richard, this isn't up for debate we discuss and vote with the team and the league, but the bat-family answers to The Batman." Catwoman said, staring Dick down as she did when he was a child.

"Shit like this is why I moved to Bludhaven. Do as you like, I just hope this doesn't blow up in our face."

"Dick, wait!" Barbara called as she followed after her storming friend. Helena also chased after her brother if only to try and make him see things her parents way. After that Jason claimed he was going upstairs for some of Alfred's food, Tim followed.

"I'll always back you in front of them just like you would for me, but Dick would probably be more on board if you told him why." Selina said once she knew they were alone.

"So he can act like it doesn't matter, like you do." Bruce replied.

"Bruce it's not like you cheated, after you were abducted Talia took your dna. You didn't know he existed until a little while ago."

"I should have Selina, I should have known about them all." Bruce grimaced facing the computer awaiting contact from the clan.

"Sadly my love, even the world's greatest detective is still human." They returned their cowls and just as they were firmly in place the monitor sprang to life on it's own with the face of none other than Beyond.

"Batman and Catwoman it's an honor."

"It feels more like a threat." Catwoman snipped.

"We agree to not exposing you ourselves, we will not however sabotage any other member of the team or a leaguer if you get their attention in a negative way." Batman stoicly replied. "In exchange we will begin joint ventures to establish better relations if your intentions are indeed as just as you claim. We will also not share any information with Cadmus, unless the situation demands it as the few cadmus/ league co-ops of the past have." Terry smirked and replied.

"Creepy, that is almost word for word what Damien said you would say. Alright, fine, the first of these joint ventures will be a patrol of Gotham tomorrow night. You'll pick one member of our team, we'll pick one member of yours. Let me guess you want Damien."

"We want you Terry." At that Terry seemed to grow slightly irritated.

"Damn I was sure the little bastard was at least wrong about that part. Alright well Robin has suggested that if you were to select me I should choose Dick as Damien believes he will be the one most against this joining."

"Very well." Bruce and Terry stared at each other for a moment before the latter began rubbing his neck.

"So.. uh.. would you.. like to.. talk to Damien?" Terry akwardly asked. Bruce didn't know, yet, if this was a trap or if Terry's intentions were pure. It didn't matter. His answer would have been the same.

"Yes." The fourth young man to carry the name Robin replaced his Batman and spoke a single word.

"Father."


	6. Clowns

Lex couldn't believe he agreed to meet with her, but in the years since his disappearance she'd flourished and broke. As she walked in the room Luthor thought her appearance reaffirmed this point as she took her seat. Harley Quinn was in a two piece button up suit, red skirt and red suit jacket, and even red pumps, all covering a black silk blouse. Harley's new look was completed with her pure white skin leading up to bright red lips, and her long half red, half black hair done into a single braid. Truthfully Lex's first thought was that Harley and Harleen were thrown in a blender, turned out he wasn't to far off. The sharp mind she held back in fear of upstaging her puddin had taken his kingdom to new heights. His loss had taken what little connection Harleen had left with reality and trampled it. Many now called her The Laughing Queen, few dared still call her Harley Quinn. She walked in with a strange guard, or perhaps it was a pet. A human hyena hybrid compliments of Langstrom and a little help from her 'family'.

"Hi Lexi, if it wasn't to much trouble did you make that little pit stop I asked you to?"

"Call my or we've done enough business you can even call me Lex. Do not call me Lexi." in response to Luthor's comment the Hyena started growling.

"Easy Wolf, Now now reflecto dome, let's keep things civil. Before I sic my new baby on you." Before Luthor could retort another voice joined the meeting.

"Moooooooom, are you done with Luthor yet Duela and I want ice cream, I wanna lick it off her skin."

"Momma let's go, Bubba and I want ice cream." The new arrivals were clearly part of Harley's inner circle. Even though they spoke like siblings the male hand his hand firmly around the girl's waist. He wore black slacks with a red short sleeved button-up, and a black vest with a red diamon on one pocket and the back. His purple hair had a proper and even stylish trim to it, white skin complete with purple soul patch. His 'sister' also had the 'joker family' trademark white skin, she also had long flowing red hair, a purple suit jacket with the sleeves removed and no blouse underneath, completing her look with matching purple slacks and penny loafers. She screamed tom-boy and lady all at the same time. Harley simply rolled her eyes.

"We can get ice cream in a bit mommy is in the middle of her meeting right now." This was all it took to turn their smiles into twin grimaces.

"Hey Lex, why are you holding up mom?" The male demanded.

"Who do you think you are to even speak to me?"

"His name is Shiv, the next Joker King and I am his Queen Duela." SMACK. After speaking Duela was knocked to the floor by none other than Shiv himself.

"Sorry about that, my sister knows better than to speak for me, women am I right? Who I am doesn't matter baldie. Here's what does, I want ice cream and your the reason I'm not getting any." Suddenly Shiv was hit with enough force to embed him in the east wall.

"What have I told you aboout hitting your sister!?" Lex was watching this whole exchange with mild nausea until random bits of information he'd gather and heard here and there pieced themselves together.

"Wait Duela, you mean Duela Dent? Your daughter is Two-face's missing daughter?" Harley didn't even hesitate to answer.

"Oh yeah took her right out of her bed in the middle of the night. After little J, my little joker king, and Wolfy I decided what our little family was missing was a darling little girl. After all isn't it really the daughters who take after the dads?" Lex observed neither child reacted to their mother's words, they already knew, truly a family of clowns. "I miss my Mista J, but thankfully I'm not as impatient as he was. It took a few years to turn Duela into a proper young lady." Rather than acting mortified or betried Duela actually looked at Harley warm and lovingly. "Now Shiv, Wolf, the rest of the family, and I can't imagine life without her." During the walk down memory lane Shiv pulled himself from the wall and walked up to Duela. Pulling her to her feet he asked.

"I'm sorry honey, forgive me?" She beemed.

"Of course bubba, I love you." They began kissing and it became a sheer act of will for Lex to keep his food down and to keep the disgust from showing on his face.

"You've got quite the loving family Harley. I'd be more inclined to tell you what I have if I saw what you promised me." Harley looks momentarily stupified until.

"Oh wait I didn't bring what I promised you." Before Luthor even had a chance to get mad about that another family member he had not seen entered the room grabbed him from behind and pinned him to his chest. "Have you met Bonk? Not much to start with I'll give ya, but just some mirakuru and a dash of kobra venom and you've got the world's best big brother."

"What the hell are you doing? You can't do this to me I'm Lex Luthor!" Taking out a compact mirror and removing an incredibly small computer chip Harley tells Lex not anymore as she presses the mole sized chip into the side of Luthor's neck.

"So did he bring it?" Harley asks. The man in front of her spreads an unnaturally large grin and replies.

"He sure did."

Elsewhere, hidden in the fortress of solitude two young heroes were in the midst of training. As one young man fired arrow after arrow at his airborn opposition. Watching the two exchange attacks from a monitor just outside the room were the newest Robin and the man of steel himself.

"I fail to see how these two can enhance my clearly superior skills." Damien said without batting an eyelash. Ever the diplomat Superman replied.

"Your not here to learn to fight better Damien, your here to spend time with kids around your own age. Training with them will enhance their combat skills. And hopefully give you some people skills." He finished under his breath.

"So it's a play date, pointless. Is this really what father and the harlot expect me to do while Beyond patrols with the others."

"Catwoman is not a harlot Damien, and this 'play date' was approved by Bruce and Terry." Damien eyed the kryptonian before surrendering to his fate.

"Very well." Was all he said as he keyed himself into the room. Clark stood there baffled for a moment, he never gave Damien clearance to the fortress's systems. The boy was more like his father than even Clark wanted to acknowledge.

"Boys!" He shouted. "Can you come here a moment there is someone I'd like you to meet."

As the young men approached the new arrivals they took note of Damien.

"I didn't know Uncle Bruce got another Robin. Hi I'm.."

"Connor Queen also known as Connor Hawk, son of Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow and Dinah 'Laurel' Lance-Queen, the Black Canary. And Jonathan Lane Kent currently without alias, son of Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman, and Lois Kent."

"Congratulations you can read the monitor on the bat-computer." Connor replied indignantly.

"And hack the fortress to enter this room without assistance." He returned smugly. At that Connor and Jon's mouths dropped.

"Boys this is Damien, he'll be joining your training session today and hopeful many more in the future. He's here.."

"To be kept out of the way." Damien muttered.

"..to help with your training. Now Robin was trained by the league of assassins so don't worry about holding back." It was Jon who made the first attempt to invite the boy to join them.

"Welcome to the fortress Robin. We were just doing a practice drill where Connor tries to hit me with an arrow, it helps him aim, helps me dodge."

Why should you learn how to dodge?" Damien asked.

"Well being half human we're not sure how 'invulnerable' I am." Jon replied.

"Better idea, and the only thing that might actually prove to challenge me, sparring, you two against me."

"Are you serious?" Connor asked.

"Does it seem like I have a sense of humor?" Superman left the boys alone thinking maybe facing Connor and Jon at the same time would give Damien a much needed dose of humility.

Superman returned barely twenty minutes later to find Connor on the ground knocked cold, with Robin sitting on top of Jon who he'd rendered immobile. "Is the play date over yet?"


	7. Madness named Harley

Alpha team awaited the members of the Bat Clan that would be joining them tonight, watching for them from the top of Wayne Enterprises. "Nightwing whats the deal with this Beyond guy? Wasn't this team up his idea?" Speedy asked.

"Are we walking right into a trap?" added Red Arrow. Nightwing didn't answer and instead eyed the aerial vehicle coming their way. The contraption made Dick think of the batmobile and the Batplane in a giant trash compactor. Beyond and that League training bot from the warehouse dropped from the plane followed by the one with the skull on his cowl. Nightwing didn't like this at all but he would do as he'd been instructed, for now.

"Beyond." He greeted. "This is Team Alpha, Kid Flash, Supergirl, Speedy, and Red Arrow. Who's he, and whats with the Z374?"

"I prefer Zeta if you don't mind." The training bot replied.

"You prefer?"

"Nightwing, this is Zeta and Red X, they'll also be watching our backs." Beyond said as he waved a hand from one team mate to the other. "Even we're not sure how but Zeta here is self aware, and self upgrading. Gotta say X is a mystery to, but I trust them."

"Doesn't mean we do." Wally added.

"Doesn't really matter if you trust me or not Kid, I'm here to watch Beyond's back. I'm not particularly concerned with what happens to the rest of you."

"X!" Terry chastised "Most of my team don't exactly have people skills, but they can do the job."

"Lets hope so." Supergirl snipped.

"We've wasted enough time. We're here to take out a Joker gang calling themselves Harley's Hyenas. This is the second largest gang in gotham. They inspire and conscript their members by claiming to have been started by Harley Quinn herself.

"And you wanna bonk the clowns, right?" Red X interjected.

"It's not as simple as all that, if it were we wouldn't need such a large group. Among their number they have several known metas, both hired guns, and loyal members. Ravager, Cheetah, Killer Croc, Jynx, and Hank Henshaw otherwise known as the Cyborg Superman, is just part of what we're going to be up against." Nightwing explained.

"We're aware of this." Beyond answered. "Whatever they're planning is big enough they've brought in almost every member and hired some serious heavy hitters."

"He just said that." Supergirl muttered.

"Sounds fun." X quipped.

"Your definition of fun would seem to differ from most humans Red X." Zeta concluded.

"Oh god even Tornado has a junior!" Kid Flash exclaimed.

"Right, well what are we waiting for, anyone need a lift?" Terry said pointing towards his contraption.

"What do you call that thing?" Speedy asked.

"The Beyond-mobile. Not exactly original I'll admit, but it is much more advanced than anything Batman's riding around in." he replied.

"We're fine." Nightwing answered stoicly. As the teams took flight Dick radioed everyone in. "Oracle come in. Are we all patched?"

"You cracked our frequency, impressive." Red X said over coms.

"Alpha Team, Bat Clan, this is Oracle, everyone is linked up."

"Bat Clan? Cool." Terry added.

"Here's the rules boys on multiple team missions everyone takes their cues from me, understood?"

"We understand Oracle."

"Happy to hear it Beyond."

"The Hank Henshaw is aware of our approach." Zeta informed.

"Supergirl thats your cue." Nightwing ordered.

"I thought Oracle was in charge?" Beyond asks.

"Her orders take precedent but she usually leaves it in our hands." The battle begins as the Cyborg Superman and Supergirl trade blows in the sky and both plane and mobile enter auto pilot and release their occupants. Kid Flash races around taking out clown after clown until he's stopped by a blast to the gut.

"Hello again." Jynx said.

"Ugh, hey Bright Eyes that kind of hurt you know."

"This is gonna hurt a lot worse."

Red Arrow Marched straight through with Speedy close behind. Roy knew who he wanted before they even left the cave, when he first got told of the mission. Thea just wanted to make sure Roy didn't kill anyone. Ravager saw them coming from a mile away as she delfected Roy's separating arrow and dodged Thea's net arrow. Roy tried to follow with an explosive arrow which was detonated only a few feet from where The Crimson Archer should have been. Thea had seen Harper draw the explosive and was trying to stop him from firing it, luckily this got her close enough to save his face.

"Are you trying to kill her?" Speedy demanded.

"Are you sure you wanna know?" Red Arrow replied.

Nightwing was knocking away clown after clown with ease, but he stopped in front of her. The Cheetah. "Your out of your league Boy Wonder. I've sharpened my claws against Wonder Woman." Dick was quick, agile, and well trained, but he wasn't a genetically modified cheetah. The villian struck and using her vastly superior speed leapt back out of his reach. A Laughing Hyena attacked Nightwing from behind. As the hero of Bludhaven turned to counter the attack he knew he'd given Cheetah a huge opening, however right before she struck a red four point shuriken was thrown between them.

"Whats the matter Nightwing not a cat person?" Red X asked.

"Hold still so I can rip you in half." Killer Croc growled after he snapped at Beyond.

"No thanks, I don't know where you've been." Terry dodged a tail swipe, then a slash with his claws. Even managed to take down a few jokers as he dove away from Croc's teeth yet again. "Have you ever wondered how many boots you could make?" Beyond taunted as he removed a taser from his belt and fried the mutate. His victory was short lived as joker clan tried to swarm him. Zeta's constant scans of the battlefield told him it was most logical to assist Beyond. Zeta charged through and threw the punks in his way several feet away.

"Thanks Zeta."

"It is my duty. Excuse me Beyond it is now Supergirl who requires assistance." Using the technology he'd emulated from Beyond, Zeta took to the sky. Henshaw had Supergirl by the throat, gleefully choking the life out of her. Supergirl looked everywhere before calming and meeting her enemy's eyes.

"Thii iz go herr." She forced out.

"Whatever pleas you have, I have no interest in hearing th.." Zeta grabbed Henshaw's arm forcing him to let go before throwing him aways and firing a beam from his head.

"I said this is gonna hurt." Supergirl corrected. "And for the record kryptonians don't plead for their lives."

"Incorporating new data kryptonians do not plead for their lives."

"Wait, thats just banter."

"Incorporating new data kryptonians do plead for their lives."

"Thats not what I-ugh.." Henshaw returned still solely targeting Kara.

Nightwing lunged and Cheetah leapt out of the way right into a flying kick from Red X. Rolling with the attack Cheetah grabbed X's leg and threw him as she landed on all fours.

"Is that all?" She sneered. As she taunted and baited Beyond tried to take her from behind. Cheetah responded by flipping over him and launching both her feet into Terry's back. "Don't you boys feel bad ganging up on one woman?" Suddenly a red shuriken sliced her cheek.

"Not really, I like to win. I'm not to picky about the how." Red X replied. The growl that came from Cheetah was that of an angry beast.

"You scratched **my face**."

"Your a cheetah woman complete with a tail, but yeah that little scratch is what ruined your good looks." X fired two expanding xs from his palms which caught Cheetah and wrapped around her, before easily being shredded. Red X leapt back while Nightwing attacked from the side. Cheetah caught Dick's arm with her tail and kicked him in the gut while simultaneous catching both of the approaching Beyond's wrists. Flipping over Terry's head and slinging him before jumping away from X's counter attack.

"Nightwing, Beyond, Red X this is Oracle your not going to out manuver Cheetah. You have to attack her all at once when she goes for one of you."

"Here kitty kitty, I think I missed a spot." Red X quipped flinging a shuriken at the other cheek. Another roar and Cheetah lunged exactly as everyone knew she would. Rather than move away from the attack X moved into it, catching both of Cheetahs claws in the chest. In all actuality what caused the most pain was sharing the shock from Beyond's taser. After which Nightwing caught her with an escrima combo.

"That was fun." Terry commented still looking around seeing a lot joker clan.

"Well thats at least one human who shares my definition." X added.

"Jynx, you don't have to do this. I know this isn't who you are." After the battle against the Fearsome Five, Kid Flash had several run ins with the dark enchantress, even to the point of developing something a kin to friendship.

"You don't know a thing about me Flash. This is who I am, who I have to be." Jynx answered solemly.

"I don't believe that. I've seen first hand the darkest of us can choose to be good.

"Some of us aren't given that choice." Jynx fired hex after hex combining her sorcery with her natural nimbleness to avoid the skills of the speedster.

"Is this really what you want!? To help some thugs level a city?" Wally demanded while he dodged the hexes and kept trying to find an opening, while hoping not to get jinxed by her natural abilities. Until he simply decided not to. "If you really wanna cause all this destruction start with me." Jynx froze at the ultimatum, then fired a hex that hit Wally right in the face.

"Fight back. Run! Do Something!"

"No." He said calmly getting back to his feet. Jynx was getting ready to fire an other blast until she noticed the man coming up behind him with a knife.

"Stay Back!" When he realized the attack did not collide with him Wally looked around to find his would be murder at his rear.

"Looks like you've got more of a choice then you give yourself credit for."

Having entered the confines of a nearby warehouse Ravager was exchanging sword parries with Speedy while dodging arrows from Roy.

"Father said he had some more admirers." Ravager began. "But I was hoping someone well.. more." Ravager parried Thea and then forced her into the path of The Crimson Archer's latest arrow. "If this is how you treat your friends maybe we could spend some time together."

"Speedy!" Roy Shouted, he'd fired one of the arrows he and Will prepared for Slade.

"Hm, your not very good at this hero thing are you?"

"We don't really need to be, we've got each other to pick up the slack." Kid Flash anounced propped up against a support beam.

"Anything one of us doesn't bring to the table.." Nightwing began.

"Someone else does." Beyond finished from the roof.

"What can we say it's good to have friends." X added from Beyond's side.

"Nightwing, Speedy's been poisoned." Ravager was skilled, confident, and maybe even a little crazy, but she wasn't stupid against such odds she surrendered and starting looking for escape routes. Dick rushed to Speedy's side ignoring the arrow and the fact that the poison was coming from it, his ever growing list of things to deal with later.

"I can stabalize her, but she needs evac, KF." Wally came over and looked over his friend's condition.

"No good I can't move her."

"It's alright guys help is on the way." Even as Oracle reported it Raven appeared in front of them.

"I will take her." Was all she said as Raven absorbed Thea into her soul self and fled. Supergirl and Zeta then joined the group Henshaw in hand. Wondering aloud where everyone else was.

"Croc, Cheetah, and Ravager are all ready to go." Beyond replied.

"Jynx got away." Wally reported.

"Speedy was poisoned and many of the hyenas fled, but we put a serious dent in a major gang in gotham. Oracle, this is Nightwing, we're coming back."

Elsewhere miles away a one armed woman was secured to a table in an underground lab. Harley came in wearing her silk blouse and skirt with a lab coat on. "How are we today Dee Dee?"

"My name is Mercy, you know this already no amount of hair dye and straps is going to make me go by DEE DEE!" It was true Harley had removed Mercy Graves cybernetic arm and even cut her hair and dyed it orange. Harley was accompanied by her brute Bonk.

"Now now, I'm trying to be hospitable. If you hurt my feelings Dee Dee I'm gonna have to hurt yours."

"Can I have her ma?" Bonk asked.

"Now don't be silly Bonk, you know your pistol doesn't even lock and load. Go get Wolf he's in heat." Harley walked up to Mercy and propped herself on the table by Mercy's head. "Ever have a dog hump your leg? Well this isn't gonna be anything like that." Bonk came back with the hybrid on a leash.

"Harley you can't be serious!?" Mercy screamed.

"I can see why you might think that." With a wave of Harley's hand Bonk yanked on Wolf's leash one good time before letting go. The excited Hyena barreled at the woman until Harley's face did a complete one eighty. "Wait! Wait Wolf Stop!" She screamed frantically grabbing the leash and pulling the animal away from Mercy. "Bonk!"

"Yes mam?"

"Could you get me some popcorn?" And with that she let the leash go again.


	8. Luthor Laughs

Thea was returned to the cave where Team Alpha had also rushed to, as had Will and Artemis. The Bat Clan invited themselves along informing Nightwing of the exact location of the base and even sharing a clearance code they'd aquired to allow them access. Barbara was not pleased. "Why are they here?"

"Hey we played nice, followed your orders, and we're worried about Speedy to." Beyond snapped.

"Oracle how is she?" Roy asked.

"She'll be fine, but I want to keep her for observation. That was some serious stuff she got hit with. Since when does Ravager use poisons?"

"You don't know?" Dick asks. Barbara replies that the warehouse was a blind spot she could hear them but she lost sight of them, since the place had been abandoned with no cameras for her to connect to."

"I told you guys I need at least some cameras **on** you." Nightwing had already stopped listening. Thea was going to be alright, which meant it was time to deal with why she needed to be evacuated in the first place.

"Arrow we need to talk."

"No Nightwing, we don't." He replied.

"We can do this in the sound proof room or here, but it is happening." The two heroes locked eyes.

"You think I need you to tell me I screwed up? You think you can make me feel any worse than I already do?"

"Who knows, but I'm gonna give it my best shot."

"No your not we're done here." As Roy started to walk past Dick reached out and claimed his arm. "Let go of me Nightwing."

"I will as soon, as I inform you you're suspended from all team and league missions." Every jaw in the room dropped.

"With Speedy down you need me."

"Speedy is down **because of you!** " If all those in attendance weren't shocked before they were now.

"Whats he talking about Red Arrow?" Arsenal asked. Roy looked Will dead in the eye.

"I had one of the arrows we prepared for Slade and I fired it. Only Ravager threw Speedy in the way."

"Some heroes." Red X supplied.

" **You** Shot her!?" Artemis yelled.

"Red Arrow do you deny you fired a lethal arrow while Speedy was in close quarters combat?" Nightwing asked.

"Take your hand off me."

"Answer the question."

"No!" Red Arrow ripped his arm free and swung. Nightwing caught the blow and countered.

"Don't do this Arrow. This is already a bad situation don't make it worse."

"Drop the act Nightwing. You wanna take me down a peg? Give it your best shot!" Roy fired a net arrow Dick leapt over before landing graceful in front of the archer.

"Once you were my better, I looked up to you. Then we were equals, I repected you. Now Your right, I'm completely prepared to beat the hell out of you. But preperation is not desire."

"You think I want to fight you?"

"I think your not prepared to fight Deathstroke. Arsenal, Cyborg, and I leveled a small army, Cinderblock, Blockbuster, and an Ultiman. The show didn't even amuse him, and then the tests started." Kara came up and placed a hand on Dick's soldier.

"What Nightwing is trying to say Red Arrow, is Deathstroke is so in your head you can't even aim your bow." After the Luthor-Brainiac battle Deathstroke finally settled on Robin, who was at the time Dick Grayson. No one ever talked about what happened, but it was right afterwards he became Nightwing. "Please leave Arrow your our friend no one wants to force you out, but for your own good we will."

"If you suspend him you'll have to suspend me to." Nightwing registered and responded.

"Arsenal, you are also being suspended and the League will probably ask both of you to submit to psychological evaluations."

"And if we refuse?" Arsenal demanded.

"You won't." The Green Arrow announced his arrival. "How is she?"

"She's fine, no thanks to Red who shot her with a poisoned **arrow**?" Wally blabbed.

"I caught that part. Red Arrow, Arsenal, I think Nightwing is right you need to pull away from this." Roy couldn't believe this.

"You want us to quit? You didn't want us to quit when we thought she was going to be paralyzed, What's changed? Tell me, whats different?"

"You weren't responsible for her injuries." There it was thrown in Roy's face again.

"It was Ravager who threw Speedy in front of the arrow."

"It was you who fired the arrow."

"I didn't wa-AHHH" Beyond had taken this chance to tase him.

"Sorry but you guys were just going around and around."

"I have subdued Arsenal." Zeta informed.

"You guys are definitely more emotional than our group." X added.

In Harley's underground bunker Lex Luthor was having a little chat with his 'cellmate.' " _Come on Luthor how do you resist me? I always thought you didn't believe in the mental training mumbo jumbo?_ "

"I don't but my fusion with Brainiac isn't truly as finished as they'd hoped. I hear him, he whispers to me even now." The voice was not convinced.

" _And people say I'm one snake lady shy of a full circus._ " Luthor chuckled.

"I thought you'd appreciate the irony Joker. I'm using one voice in my head to stave another."

" _What you mean to say is even when I'm just a voice in your head you still don't want me to have any fun."_ It had been like this since his abduction. The very first time Joker came to him he actually managed to take him over. The transformation lasted moments but since then Joker's voice had been his constant companion desperately clawing for control, and failing. " _I wonder what my lady friend is doing with your lady friend. Gossip and torture no doubt. I did the best I could but girls will be girls. You know what I mean blah, blah, yak, yak._ "

"I don't really care. I killed the original Mercy Graves years ago, a few of her duplicates to. It relaxes me when I've had a bad day. Face it, you can't threaten me, and with you in here Harley won't harm me. But I'm a business man, make me an offer."

" _What could I possibly offer you?_ _ **I'm a voice in your head!**_ "

"I'll admit it took me by surprise, but I remember you taking over for a moment. And thats not all, you have something I haven't had in a very long time." Joker had to admit he was intrigued.

" _Alright Lex your ears are a ringin, what do you need from me?_ "

"I'll let you out to play provided I get a little input on how you spend some of your time. You see Joker the thing you have that I want is you. The Joker is an idea, no one, not even I, know who you are. Anonymity thats all I ask."

" _And the growing army and the super powered kiddies?_ "

"I will give you little errands in exchange for time out. How you get it done, and whatever else you do in the mean time, is of no consequence."

" _Ooo I'm your secret identity. How do you like that? Faster than a speeding bullet it's Luthker.. uh.. Jothor,, oh forget it, combining names is dumb anyways. It's a deal."_

First things first, heh heh heh heh ha ha ha AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Luthor's skin turned pale white as green hair actually grew from his scalp. " _Get us out of this cell."_

"But of course Lexi, Harley and I have a very special bond. HARLEY! HARLEY! HARLEY WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!? HARLEY!"

"What the hell's goin on down here?" Responding to all the noise a joker gang member entered the room and advanced on the cell, shock clear on his face.

"Who are you?"

"She did it, she actually did it. Holy Shit Our Queen Did IT!" The man was jumping all over the place.

"Ahem."

"Oh, sorry sir. I don't have the key, Joker, sir, Sir Joker. I'll tell the boss your with us." Harley's squeal was deafening from where ever she was in the hideout.

"Mista J, are you really you?" She asks barreling into the confiment area.

"Harley darling, I see I rubbed off a little more than intended." As soon as the door was opened Joker wrapped his hands around Harley's throat. "Why did you have to put me on Luthor?"

" _I'm still here."_

"Yeah I know."

"You know what, puddin?" Harley squeaked.

"Thanks to you I've got Lex on the mind all the time, and he can put me back in when ever he wants."

"But thats not what was suppose to happen. Hey LEX I got your little Mercy girl if you want her kept in-" Joker loudly sighed.

"He doesn't care, apparently she's a clone of a clone of a clone."

" _They're all made from the preserved DNA of the original Mercy. If I did it like that the cellular structure would break down."_ Oblivious to Lex and Joker's argument Harley asked.

"In that case can I have another one. I already broke the one I had."

"Hm, Lex did say he didn't care what I did."

" _She can have one. I'll also need a Mercy to accompany me and I don't want to burn through my supply._ Releasing Harley, Joker began to smile again.

"Sure kiddo whatever you want. Now let me get a good look at our family."


	9. Zatanna's Rage

"This stinks. Double chores, double training sessions, and all over ten measly dollars." Cyborg complained sweeping the main room of Titans Tower.

"Dude I got the same punishment as you and I lost ten dollars. You don't hear me complaining." Beast Boy replied.

"Actually, we do, all the TIME!" Garfield and Victor continued their bickering even as Tim entered the room. Red Robin surveyed the area, it really had never looked better. "I don't even know why we're doing this. The place is already clean."

"Your doing it because Zatanna told you to." Cyborg and Beast Boy both gave Red Robin indignant looks.

"Come on Rob, even you gotta admit this is over kill. My blisters have blisters." Garfield whined.

"Z wouldn't have cared as much if you'd waited until we were back at the tower."

"Teacher's pet."

"Friend Robin." Starfire stated coming into the common room. "As friend Raven is not home would you like to accompany me to the mall of shopping?"

"Sorry Star with Z out of town to we need to stay on alert here at the tower."

"We're not going after more clowns are we? I'm tired of those guys." Garfield added. Taking in the looks he was getting from his teammates, he added. "What clowns give me the creeps." As if on the young changling's command the alarms in the tower sounded.

"You got your wish Beast Boy, no clowns. It's Doctor Light."

The photonic villian was to busy stealing diamonds to notice the team's approach.

"Drop the rocks." Cyborg demanded. Arthur Light turned and took in his would be captors, and then actually turned back to his heist. "Dude you need to learn a little respect." Victor fired his sonic cannon blasting Dr. Light in the back and slamming him against a near by wall. "It's rude to turn away from the hero stopping your crime. Hero and villain rules of etiquette number six." While the titanium teen quipped he received a blast of his own.

"Rule number one, child, don't gloat until you've won."

"Cy!" Beast Boy yelled. Garfield narrowly dodged another attack by turning into a snake, charged as a cheetah, before trying to strike as a gorilla. Doctor Light merely pulled up a shield. Beast Boy pounded and Starfire shot starbolt after starbolt but the force field didn't budge. "Yo Rob, little help."

"I am helping." Tim replied. Finishing his scan of the dome he took a capsule from his belt and threw it right at Arthr Light, the force field vanished.

"How did you do that?" Cyborg asked, returning to Tim's side.

"That capsule is something Flash and Batman co-designed to handle Mirror Master, the scan was to make sure it would work." Victor wasn't sure of that.

"And you just happen to have it with you?" Red Robin looked to his team mate.

"We did know it was before we left. Don't you make adjustments based on who we're going after?"

"Uh no, not really. After the accident any tech I absorb is just kind of in here."

"Beast Boy and I would not mind the hand friends." Starfire yelled evading multiple beams from the villain. Beast Boy rushed only for him to form another force field, this one around Garfield. Nothing the changling turned into could free him.

"Stop! Or I'll crush him."

"Starfire, Cyborg rush him, Beast Boy peregrine falcon!" Red Robin ordered. A sonic blast flew side by side with a starbolt barrage as Tim threw another capsule at Beast Boy's dome. "Circle him." Tim stood to Dr. Light's right, Garfield quickly got behind him, as Kori and Victor took their positions in the spiral formation. Arthur didn't seem to care.

"You children must think me a joke." The villain stretched his hands and formed multiple hard light constructs in the form of himself. A Doctor Light for each titan an two additional constructs to protect himself. Beast Boy squared off against his construct first as a rhino, but when that wasn't able to break his enemy's force field he turned into a falcon and soared away before swan diving as an african elephant. The impact shattered the shield and destroyed the construct. Two more constructs were formed and overwhelmed the green titan. The remainder of the team rallied around Red Robin.

"Any ideas bird boy?" Cyborg asked hopeful.

"As a matter of fact. Doctor Light controls these constructs himself." Tim began leaping over one light bean, and diving under another. "We need to take out the original."

"Thats great, but I was thinking more than something I could've come up with on my own. Come on I thought all you Robins were smart. UGH!"

"Cyborg!" Three of the constructs teamed up and rained fire upon the metal titan. One of Doctor Light's constructs stepped forward and spoke for him.

"I offer you this one and only chance to leave me to my work, Timothy."

"You know who I am?" Red Robin asked shock clear on his face.

"Indeed, I've recently taken the time to get to know one of your leader's super buddies very, very well. People can be quite chatty given the proper incentive." Tim stared past the construct and locked eye with the original Arthur Light.

"I'll pass."

"Pity, I really didn't want to start with you." The five constructs stood in front of the two standing titans and fired.

"Ecrof dleif." The words were spoken softly but their effects was apparent to all as a protective golden wall formed in front of Starfire and Red Robin.

"Leader Zatanna, glorious you have joined us." Starfire exclaimed.

"Thanks for the save Z." Robin added. Zatanna barely looked at her teammates before walking past to stand in front of them.

"Robin, you and Starfire get Beast Boy and Cyborg out of here. I'll handle Doctor Light." The enchantress ordered.

"Z I don't think thats a good idea. He's been picking us apart while barely giving us the time of day." He admitted.

"I was asking Rob. You and Starfire are to evacuate with BB and Cyborg, thats an order."

"Leader Zatanna I also do not wish to leave you alone. The Dr. Light knew friend Robin's other identity." Zatanna's eyes actually grew cold and wether it was magic or simply here tone the tamaranian couldn't stop the shiver that ran up her spine when their commander spoke again.

"Take the boys and leave." Finally giving in Tim and Kori grabbed Gar and Vic with Doctor Light making no effort to stop them. The quartet was safely outside when Red Robin stopped and said.

"I can't leave her in there to fight alone orders or not."

"I wish to return as well."

"No Star Beast Boy and Cyborg do need to be gotten out of here, but you can easily get them safely home alone. Return to the tower, I'm going to help Zatanna." Reluctently Kori left with her friends taking them to safety and Tim raced back to the battle. Where nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. The constructs were all gone and Zatanna was standing in front of Doctor Light with more malice than he'd believed her capable of.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" On the floor and seemingly defeated he had the audacity to smirk.

"As a matter of fact I did, immensely."

"Well I'm going to make sure you never enjoy yourself again. REFFUS!" Tim knew the screams coming from Dr. Light all to well. They were the screams of a man being tortured. What could have possibly happened in the short time Tim had left with the others. The third Robin couldn't move, he couldn't speak. This wasn't Zatanna. It couldn't be. When she stopped channeling the spell the villain actually asked.

"Your not jealous are you?" The sorceress merely raised her hands as she gathered even more mystical energy into them.

"Wonk Reh Gnireffus! WONK TI LLA!" In the years since Tim became Red Robin he'd fought the light, been tortured and experimented on by Joker, and fought some of the worst monsters alive beside the bat family, the team, and even the titans, but nothing he'd ever experienced had scared him as much as Zatanna in that moment. "You may have learned who we are Arthur Light, but it doesn't matter." Tim knew the end was coming and god help him he had to step in. He had to save Dr. Light from Zatanna. "Tegro-ahh." Zatanna's incantation was halted by smoke appearing at her feet. "Whoever you are you really don't want to get in my way. Etapissid." With a wave of her hand the smoke was gone and standing between her and Doctor Light was none other than Red Robin.

"I can't let you do this Z."

"You have no idea what he's done." Zatanna replied.

"Is it any worse than anything Brother Blood has done? How about Joker?" Tim shot back.

"This is different."

"Your right Z, it's personal. You were torturing this man."

" **HE IS NOT A MAN!** " Noticing her outburst caused Tim to reach for his discs Zatanna forced her voice level. "Robin, I'm going to erase his mind. I have to, he know who we are." Tim didn't budge.

"Then we call the league and Manhunter or Miss M can do it."

"Move."

"No." The leaders of the titans stared each other down.

"I'm sorry Tim. Hsup." Red Robin flew into the back wall, hard. Tim sprang off the walls and threw several discs. "HSUP!" Zatanna used the incantation again with enough power Tim was not only thrown against the wall but held in place. With the fight over in her mind Zatanna returned her attention to Dr. Light. "Tegrof-ack." She was caught in the gut with a disc that exploded into polyurethane foam.

"Face it Z. If you want to use your incantation you have to focus on Light." Red Robin began standing in front of the wall he was just against. "Which means you can't focus on me."

"Your right. tropelet." And just like that she transported herself several feet to the left of her former confinement, before speaking the incantation again. "Tropelet Der Nibor." And before Tim could do anything to stop her, he was sent away. Not far, but more than far enough. When he returned to the robbery, already having contacted the league, Doctor Arthur Light was nothing but a drooling mass on the floor. Tim looked from the man to his friend and leader.

"Z..." Zatanna turned to him without the slightest bit of remorse.

"Whatever the league decides to do about this, it was worth it."


	10. It all comes together

" _Is everyone in position?_ "

" _Everyone's ready Aqualad._ " Miss Martian replied. Team Beta was in Coast City preparing to tackle another Joker gang.

" _Can't believe these nuts are even way out here._ " Static added over the mental link.

" _Believe it Static. The world finally has a chance to be rid of the Joker for good, and instead they immortalize him in the form of all these gangs._ " Huntress projected.

" _Our mission is to disperse and apprehend as many of these clowns as possible._ "

" _Why these clowns?_ " Superboy demanded. Aqualad was in charge but it was Huntress who'd chosen this mission.

" _Even though this gang of jokers is brand new The Gagging Giggles are lead by Gaggy aka Gagsworth A. Gagsworthy. Which is why I thought they deserved some special attention._ " Most of the team had no idea what value this Gaggy had but it was Virgil who actually asked.

" _So why is this Gaggy guy so important?_ "

" _Gagsworth was Joker's original partner before Harley Quinn._ " Aqualad explained. " _Huntress believes that if left alone for long Gagsworth may be able to combine several of the joker gangs under his banner, the league and I agree._ "

" _Be careful Gaggy may be a dwarf but he's also a meta human with a powerful sonic scream._ " Helena warned.

" _Just what my life was missing a pint sized screeching clown._ " Virgil complained.

" _Silence. It is time to begin._ " Aqualad ordered. " _Miss Martian the men watching the door_ " Without a sound M'gann raised both men into the air and before they could react or shout bashed their heads together. " _We're not going to be able to sneak much further. From here on be prepared to fight._ " Kaldur moved inside and quickly took to the shadows, as did Helena.

" _You guys aren't leaving me outside because I'm the new guy right?_ " Virgil asked.

" _I'm out here to you know._ " Connor thought. " _Kaldur, Helena, and M'gann have the best chance of getting in and taking Gaggy quietly. We're prepared to fight everyone, but if we can actually get away with just snatching stumpy a gang this small might collapse on it's own._ " Miss Martian scanned the minds of every gang member she could reach. No one knew where Gaggy was, and she couldn't find him herself, she informed.

" _Huntress?_ " Aqualad asked.

" _No luck on my end either. This doesn't make any sense. According to Batman's intel Gaggy is here, and if there is one thing I've learned never to question it's Batman's intel._ "

" _He may have a secret room with psionic dampers, Static._ "

" _Finally something to do._ " Virgil reached out with his powers like Black Vulcan had shown him. " _Aqualad there is a whole lot of power running to a room below you guys. I can't be to sure but from the amount of juice running to it I'd be willing to bet it's a super villain panic room._ "

" _So we bust in and bust him out._ " Superboy projected.

" _Superboy, Static maintain positions, until my signal. Miss Martian how many of these men can you brain blast at once?_ "

" _Compared to some of the other gangs we've been dealing with this one is pretty small, maybe all of them._ " She replied.

" _How many can you assure?_ " Kaldur requested.

" _All but a few._ "

" _Do it, leave those closest to Huntress and myself to us. We move on your mark._ " Megan prepared herself for the task at hand before giving the word. Miss Martian was able to subdue all but five of the giggles which were easily handled by Aqualad and Huntress. " _Static, Superboy we believe we've found the panic room, move in._ " After the arrival of Virgil and Connor, and the shorting out of the door, team beta pounced in the room. Only to find Gaggle inside, already dead.

" _There's a note on his chest._ " Huntress told everyone as she took it and read aloud. "Sorry Gags your just not the right kind of funny, signed Harley."

"How did Harley Quinn walk in here and kill this guy without getting noticed?" Virgil asked aloud.

"We don't know if this was Harley." Helena began. "A note with her name on it is her new bold style, but it just doesn't feel right."

"It doesn't feel right? Are you for real?"

"Static, it has been my experience when a member of the bat family says something is not as it seems, then it is not as it seems. Huntress can you find anything?" Aqualad asked.

"The door was sealed, this room has surveillance, but it's feed was destroyed, and not a single print anywhere." She began moving towards the body. "Rigamortis has set in, he's been dead a while. I don't have any solid proof Aqualad, but this is way to clean to be Harley."

Elsewhere in Coast City Luthor was putting the finishing touchs on the light's greatest master piece, a boy in a tank. " _I wish you hadn't tidied up Lex._ " His 'roommate' complained.

"And I wish you had done as I asked and recruited him, instead of kill him. Not that it matters in the end." Unable to look at anything that Lex wasn't looking at Joker asked.

" _Who's the sea monkey? You've been staring at him since we got here._ "

"If you must know his name is Ultima, the final product of The Ultimen research. Unfortunately nothing we have has the power to bring him to life."

" _And what makes Ken here so ulti-o lala._ " Lex had to admit even if he was in control he wasn't sure how much he should share with Joker.

"Several years ago the league stumbled upon Project Cadmus and discovered Superboy. They took this discovery to mean cadmus was trying to make an army of kryptonians."

" _Your not?_ " Lex smirked.

"If that was our goal we would have kept making them after we created Powergirl. No, Ultima here is so much more. He has the combined intellect of myself and Batman, the combined powers of Martian Manhunter and Superman, both the magical abilites of Klarion and , even kidnapped Blue Beetle and Atom so we could steal their knowledge of technology. Truly an ultimate being created to serve the light."

" _Looks like a goldfish to me._ " The Clown Prince of Crime 'muttered.'

"Mind your to-hm, you may be on to something Joker." Struck by inspiration Lex walked away from the tank to his monitor and began pulling up everything he had on the Justice Leaguer Aquaman. "Hm, perfect."

" _Wanna clue me in on the joke?_ " Instead of answering Luthor asked a question of his own.

"Would you like to live again?"

" _Much as I'd like to quip it would be nice if I could enjoy Harley and the kiddies without your input. What's the catch Lex?_ "

"No catch, an exchange if you can manage to get Aquaman's trident the light has the means to contain it, and I believe the trident is powerful enough to awaken Ultima, so of course it can. If you get the trident for me I would be more than happy to clone a blank body we could then transfer you to. Interested?"

" _So all I have to do is get Fish Fella's magic shrimp fork and you'll make me a body all my own? I'd be happy to Lexi._ "

In the Justice League Watch Tower Zatanna was being lead to a secure room by Shazam with a charm made and placed by severing her connection to her magic, for the time being. While walking down the hall they were stopped by Randolph Dibny.

"I'll take her from here Shazam." The Elongated Man said to his fellow leaguer.

"Sorry Ralph I was ordered to personally deliver her all the way, but your welcome to join us."

"That won't be necessary. I just wanted to say you went to far Zatanna." The former leader of the titans couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"How can you of all people say that?" She demanded.

"I'm not saying anything. Personally, I might have gone even further, but I promised Sue I'd deliver that message. Now I have." Zatanna was floored, she was here for avenging Sue, and even she thought she'd gone to far. Z hadn't missed what else had been said though.

"So you would have gone further, huh?" Ralph didn't hesitate to answer.

"I might have, but thats why the league wouldn't let me within a mile of the guy. To keep me from doing something terrible I would come to regret. And make no mistake Zatanna this will start to eat at you." With that Ralph left Shazam to finish escorting her. Billy stopped next to a door and wave towards it.

"Here we are." Upon entering the room Z couldn't believe who else was already present.

"Red Arrow and Arsenal, I don't belong with these nuts." She shouted.

"Arthur Light medical examinations would beg to differ." Said a new arrival.

"Caitlin!" Roy exclaimed.

"Great I'm going to be cousled by a mass murder for wiping the mind of a dangerous criminal. Am I the only one who see something wrong with this picture?" Zatanna exclaimed digging herself deeper and deeper. Caitlin wasn't alone at her side was Cisco Ramone, also known as Vibe.

"Caitlin wasn't responsible for the crimes of Killer Frost, the same mutation that gave her her powers shut off the supramarginal gyrus." Cisco exclaimed.

"What?" Will chimed.

"The supramarginal gyrus, the part of the brain responsible for empathy and compassion." explained and then held up her wrist. "But thanks to friends who never gave up on me and this band, designed by Cisco, completely muting my mutation, not just shutting off my powers, I'm me again."

"I'm sure thats a lot of comfort to the family of all Killer Frost's victims." The sorceress shot.

"Zatanna!" Vibe began.

"No, Cisco, it's ok. Your right, I've done terrible things I'll never be able to take back. Just like all of you."

"Excuse me?"

"Roy and Will designed weapons specifically with the intention of taking a man's life, and even demonstrated the will to use these weapons on people close to him. And in case no one's told you yet Dr. Light, monster or not, is comatose. In layman's terms you put a man in a coma." The former villain stared the hero down waiting, hoping, to see some trace of guilt.

"Dr. Light got what he deserved."

"Well well well listen to Miss High and Mighty. You always kind of acted like you were better than us, well Z whats the difference between us now?" Zatanna didn't miss a beat as she replied.

"I actually got mine." Caitlin sighed.

"Well I can see this is going to take a while, but thats ok. I have no where to go, and neither do any of you."


	11. Who Wants to be First

It was just before nightfall and mother and daughter were sparring inside the batcave. Helena jabbed, and followed with a spinning heel. Selena dodged the hand, caught the foot and attempted to flip her sparring partner, who instead planted her hands in the ground and tried to strike again. Leaping away from the kick Selena commented. "Your being unusally aggressive." Huntress replied.

"Am I?"

"For sparring with me you are. Usually you wait for me to make the first move." Helena mumbled something that sounded a lot like maybe I'm tired of waiting for you to make a move. Evading another spin kick, and deflecting the backside kick that followed, Selena demanded. "And what is that supposed to mean?" Helena stopped fighting.

"You should have told us about Damien the second you found out." Catwoman paused for a moment before sweeping Helena's feet out from under her. As she hit the floor with a loud thud her mother looked down on her and said.

"Yes we should have. But tell me Honey, how would you break to your family that a sibling no one, not even the father, knew existed is suddenly coming into their lives, and quite possibly as an enemy?" Huntress flipped up, away, and immediately lunged with a hard haymaker, which Catwoman caught and threw. After being launched and landing on her feet Helena finally asked.

"Is Damien my enemy?"

"No." Selena answered.

"Don't you mean we don't know yet?" Nightwing added from several feet away.

"Impressive approach Dick. Even I wasn't aware of you until my sweep kick."

"You've been here that long?" Helena asked.

"I came in just in time to catch the spin kick. Alpha has a mission and we're down two. I need you and Artemis to fill in."

"Another batch of clowns?"

"More than likely but we're actually conducting an investigation into the murder in coast city you and team beta discovered the other night." Huntress followed Nightwing walked to the batcave's zeta portal and quickly joined the rest of team alpha and the bat clan members who'd be joining them.

"Who are these guys?" Artemis asked pointing at Beyond and his partners.

"My name is Beyond. This is Red X and Batgirl."

"Batgirl?" Nightwing asked aloud.

"You weren't using it." Red X added. The woman in question Cassandra Cain said nothing. Nightwing handed out group pairings and mission assignments. Supergirl was teamed up with Batgirl, Red X would be working with Kid Flash, Huntress and Artemis would be taking a trip to the Iceberg lounge, and to Terry's surprise Dick paired them together. As everyone else left Dick turned to Terry and said.

"Your overly comfortable with your team getting split up." Beyond smirked.

"Double crosses are kind of a villain thing." He quipped. "You may not trust us, yet, but we trust you." Nightwing ran forward and leapt off the roof grappling a nearby statue and swinging away. "And I thought my guys didn't have any manners."

"So why pair us together?" Artemis asked on a roof across from the Penguin's club.

"We work well together, you have extensive knowledge of the criminal underworld, and I have extensive knowledge on Penguin." Huntress answered.

"I should be with the outlaws. We're a man down to you know." Helena stopped and looked at her friend.

"Artemis, for the time being there are no Outlaws. I'm here for the night, but you and Hood are being transfered to Alpha and Hotstreak is joining Beta." The look of shock on the archer's face told her this was unexpected so the Cat-Brat explained further. "The Outlaws were only a four man cell to begin with. With one of your own suspended to it was decided the remaining members would be folded into existing teams. However, current Outlaw positions are not set in stone. Red Hood, Nightwing, Aqualad, and Red Robin will be meeting in the near future to discuss placement."

"So Zatanna really went nuts huh?" By this point Z's suspension was public knowledge, the reasons behind it were not. Helena did not answer and instead looked towards the club.

"Thats the last of the public clientele. Lets go, if Oswald is going to give up anything we have to be in and out before the other Rogues arrive." The pair easily sneak inside the Iceburg Lounge even coming up right behind the man in question. "Cobblepot." She says getting the criminal's attention. He puts on a noticable grimace before plastering on his trademark fake smile.

"My, My I don't usually get to entertain heroes. Would you like a table or just the usual 'what do you know'?" Artemis drew an arrow an pressed it against the tip of his nose before Huntress replied.

"We want everything you know about the murder of a meta human criminal, Gagsworth A. Gagsworthy."

"That midget who used to hang around the Joker, before he traded way up for Harley? I haven't even thought about that little spit wad in a seal's age. Besides I'm a respectable business man now, what would I know about a murder." Artemis stepped back, pointed down, and released her arrow, right at Cobblepot's foot. "HEY!"

"Don't toy with us Penguin." Huntress continued ignoring his outburst. "You've got your ear to every wall, and your eye at every keyhole. Tell us what you know, or maybe we should start investigating you."

"Alright, alright, I may know some people inside these gangs that are springing up."

"Inside which gangs?" Artemis demanded drawing a second arrow.

"All of them, including Gaggy's. No matter what that note said Harley had nothing to do with the pint sized screamers murder. She wasn't even in the city, as far I've heard." Artemis fired the second arrow slicing Penguin's cheek.

"Something useful Oswald. I'm not sure my friend here has much patience left." Now Cobblepot showed his disdain, as he clutched the side of his face.

"Allegedly, the Clown Prince of Crime himself walked right through the front door, but not out again. The next thing I heard some of you capes showed up." Huntress did very well not allowing the shock to show on her face and instead questioned.

"You wouldn't lie to me, would you Oswald?" Even as she asked Artemis pulled back the string on yet another arrow, an explosive this time.

"I wouldn't dream of it dearies. If I lied to you I'd have to deal with Batman and that traitorous feline Catwoman."

"No." Artemis began. "If you've lied to us, you'll have to deal with us." The Emerald Archette turned and fired her explosive arrow into the clubs lounge, destroying several hundred dollars worth of table, chairs, and flooring. "If you haven't been straight with us I will personally make you beg for someone as nice and sweet as Batman." With that Artemis and Huntress walked right out the front door. Once outside and back to the roofs of Gotham Artemis asked.

"You don't really believe Joker's back do you?" Huntress stopped.

"I don't know. I wasn't there last time, but this wouldn't be the first 'death' he's come back from." Helena's partner wasn't convinced.

"Yeah but every other time he fell into a hole or some strange liquid. Last time RR shot him."

"I don't know, lets hope the others find something that shed more light on this."

Having flown at super speed partner on back Supergirl and Batgirl arrive in Central city at the headquarters of the giggles. Punching in the door Supergirl stood in front fo the small gang and asked. "Do you guys really wanna do this?" Her question was answered by the mad scramble of every pair of gang feet in the building. "So much for killer clowns, right?" Cassandra looked at Supergirl for a moment before walking past her. "Strong silent type, great. Nightwing so owes me." The pair ventured through the compound with the few additional giggles making the same mad dash as the first group they'd encountered until finally returning to the room Gagsworth was found in. "Don't know what we're supposed to fins here. Huntress already went over this room when the body was still in it." Batgirl pressed a button on her cowl and her eyes turned blue. Slowly carefully Cassandra looked over every inch and corner of the panic room. "Not to be rude but, what do you think your going to find that Huntress missed?" Cass continued her search until she took out a pair of tweezers and picked up a single green hair.

"What do you two think your doing in here?" Supergirl and Batgirl turned to find a large bald joker wearing black overalls over a red onesie.

"Look clown unless you wanna get hurt go away."

"Dad said no's allowed in here, and ma said what dad says goes." Kara sighed.

"Great a joker hill billy. Just remember I did warn you." Supergirl flew at the Joker and swung. She was not however prepared for her fist to be caught and for her to take a punch to the face instead.

"Gimme what you found." He demanded of Batgirl. Supergirl quickly rose to her feet and made a demand of her own.

"Who the **hell** are you?"

"Mom calls me Bonk, you can call me the guy not.." Before Bonk could finish his statement two batarangs exploded in his face. Batgirl rushed the brute and quickly, and repeatedly struck his left leg. "What do you think your doing?" The clown roars as he reaches for her. "Hey whats wrong with my leg?" After trying to advance Bonk finds the leg Cassandra struck completely immobile. She rushes in only to be stopped by an orange whip and two girls with bright orange hair.

"Oh Bonk, Mom knew you'd be the one to get into trouble. Come on we're getting out of here."

"I don't think so." Supergirl growled getting to her feet.

"Well we do." The orange haired girl who had yet to attack pulled a gun and shot Supergirl. At first no did anything until Batgirl realized Supergirl was trying to attack them anymore, and upon inspection didn't look so good.

"You've got quite the tough call." One of the girls began.

"Kryptonite bullet, can't stop using and save her." The other one finished.

"Now it's payback time. Your about to find out that gun ain't the only thing about to lock and load." The girl who'd shot Kara hit Bonk with the pistol.

"No Mom wants us home **now**." Looking at Batgirl and then back to his 'sisters' Bonk decided to drag his dead leg and follow them out. Once they were gone Cassandra called backup and immediately set to work trying to save Supergirl.

Back in Gotham Nightwing and Beyond were breaking into an old abandoned apartment building. "Your sure this is where Gagsworth was hanging his cap? This is an long drive for someone with a teleporter of some kind." Terry pointed out.

"This was a safe house, somewhere to crash if things got to out of hand. Being far away was probably part of the appeal." Dick replied. The team leaders quietly and quickly made their way through the building until coming to a locked door on the sixth floor. "After you." Dick offered. Beyond stepped forward and produced a lockpick from the tip of his finger, and opened the door. Turning back smugly he said.

"By all means after you." Inside the room were guns, computer equipment, and a lot of posters. "Man, this guy has a serious hate on for Haley's Circus."

"Gagsworth used to work for Haley's until a new act pushed him out." Dick informed his partner while he sat down in front of the computer.

"Who was the act?"

"The Flying Graysons." Nightwing easily broke past the computer's security. "This monitor has a live feed of the panic room in Coast City."

"I thought the only camera in there was destroyed?"

"The only camera we found was destroyed. I'm not sure where the camera is, but this is a live feed of Gaggy's panic room." A hunch and a few seconds later and the leader of team Alpha was grinning. "This computer has footage from the day of the murder. We can see exactly what happened." Terry couldn't believe it.

"As far as murder evidence goes we couldn't ask for more." Dick was just about to bring up the footage when a purple, hard light, playing card destroyed the computer.

"Sorry boys, but Wolfe and I can't let you see that."

"Shiv!" Nightwing leapt away and threw a bird disc. Which Shiv destroyed with another playing card. Dodging a flying kick from Beyond Shiv materialized a crowbar and hit the hero in the back of the head. Before Nightwing could come to his aid Wolfe rushed past his master and flew at the other investigator. Dick did a jump spin kick and knocked the hybrid right out of the air into a wall. "What are you doing here Shiv? What do you have to do with Gaggy's murder?" The bang baby just chuckled.

"When you ask questions like that does anyone actually tell you?"

"Sometimes." Nightwing began drawing his escrima. "But I usually have to ask nicely."

"Well try your luck with this." Shiv fired several giant staples securing Beyond to the floor. "In a few short minutes this termite infested shit hole is going up like green at Willie Nelson concert. I'm not even going to ask you hero types always make the **heroic** call so Wolfe and I are just going to get out of here while you try, and hopefully fail to save your fellow cosplayer here. Wolfe!" At his master's command Wolfe slowly crawls to his feet before barreling out the door. Nightwing didn't see any fire yet, but smoke was already coming down the halls. Try as he might, h only couldn't free Beyond.

"Beyond! Beyond, wake up!"

"Perhaps I may be of some assistance." Zeta stated coming through the door. Even though Zeta easily ripped the stakes out and flew both men to safety gratitude was not the emotion Dick displayed.

"I thought Beyond only brought Batgirl and X?"

"Those were his intentions, however Beyond's trust of you is not shared by Robin and as such asked if I would 'babysit' our leader." Dick eyed the machine closely, he was self upgrading, and worked for Cadmus, could he lie? Before that question could be answered a communication came through on the bat-clan frequency

"Red X to Beyond."

"This is Nightwing, Beyond is down for the moment, what is it?"

"Kid Flash is hurt, bad. I'm not sure how but company was waiting for us. What the hell is going on?" Thats when it all came together for the second generation detective.

"It was a race."

"What?"

"It was a race for information and we lost. I'm betting Supergirl and Batgirl got into it with someone to." As Nightwing relayed this information Beyond came to.

"Ah, I'm gonna feel that tomorrow. Zeta report on all teams and surmise investigation." Zeta turned to his team leader and replied.

"Red X and Kid Flash were unable to obtain anything. Opposition met, Kid Flash severely injuried. Supergirl and Batgirl, Batgirl has a new item in one of her evidence pouches. Opposition met, Supergirl was shot with a kryptonite bullet, Robin has already removed it and is assisting Batgirl in returning to Gotham with Supergirl."

"What about Artemis and Huntress?" Dick asked.

"I'm sorry, I am only able to monitor members of the bat-clan and those in their immediate proximity."

"Besides we're fine, but you guys look like you went ten rounds with Powergirl." Huntress announced joining them with Artemis at her side. "You are not going to believe this Cobblepot thinks the person who killed Gaggy was the Joker. The real Joker."

"Hair follicle in Batgirl's utility belt matches Cadmus dna file on Joker." Zeta confirmed.

"That doesn't make any sense." Dick said to himself. Everyone present looked to Nightwing choosing their words carefully.

"I know its hard to believe but.." Huntress tried to say.

"I've seen it enough times. I have no trouble believing Joker came back from the dead, again." Nightwing cut off. "But if this really is the Joker, why clean up? He's never cared what kind of mess he left behind before." Most of the evidence surrounding the death of Gaggy was gone. New enemies had come seemingly out of nowhere to stop them, and somehow all this pointed to a man who should be dead. This was going to be a long and difficult case, but for now, it was time to take everyone home.


	12. Hello and Goodbye

"Your having me followed?" Terry yelled at Damien.

"Fortunately for you." The teams were recovering from the night surprises in a bat-clan bunker, in Gotham City. "Had I not been watching your movements the alien would be dead, as would the meta and you." Terry had no come back for that. Kid Flash watched from the corner, it was true, when some crazy chick in a purple suit showed up neither X nor himself thought much of her. But she had single handedly taken him out with a powerful acid and Red X himself had to be saved by teammate Ten. Dick didn't have to like it, Terry clearly didn't, but their bat-clan babysitters had saved their lives.

"You need to remember who's in charge here, Robin."

"Every ineffectual move I watch you make reminds me plenty."

"Enough." Nightwing ordered. "We have enough going on without the two of you whining. Damien, how is Kara?" Dick had been outside debriefing Batman on their mission.

"The Kryptonian is fine, we gave her a blood transfusion."

"How'd you do that?" Wally asked.

"Cadmus cloned her and you can't figure out where I got a little blood?"

"Thats something else I've been wondering." Nightwing began. "If you work for Cadmus why isn't Powergirl a member of the Bat-clan?"

"Galatea is a member of the clan, but unlike the rest of us she reports to Waller personally. So we don't see her much." Melanie replied joining the group in the main room. Following her in was everyone not already present, save Supergirl and Zeta. "The rest of us report to Terry."

"And for whatever reason Waller trusts me to do as I please without a chaperone, wish my sidekick felt the same way."

"I'm not your sidekick Mcginnis." Damien growled. At that Artemis perked.

"Wait Mcginnis, as in Terry Mcginnis, the guy who tried to pick Thea up at Verdant?" Artemis demanded. Terry looked at Damien with a scowl and didn't miss Nightwing's grin either. To be ratted out by a member of his own team. Seeing no way out, or around, Beyond removed his cowl revealing the very man Artemis and Helena had met though Thea during their night out. "Were you going to use Thea to spy on us?" The archer pressed.

"Look I'm not going to say I have the purest of intentions when it comes to Thea Queen, but rest assured all my intention invole Thea and Terry, not Beyond and Speedy." Artemis turns from Beyond to Nightwing.

"Did you know?"

"Yes. The entire Bat family knows the identies of the entire Bat clan, however Batman ordered us to secrecy." After that Artemis stormed off followed by Wally, the two of them nearly running into Zeta.

"Kara Zor-El Danvers is stable, with her kryptonian physiology she should be fine in four hours, thirty-one minutes. Provided her condition remains on the course it is currently on. Also Amanda Waller wishes to speak with Nightwing."

"Put her on." Dick replied. Opening his shoulder to a small projecter Zeta formed a life sized hologram of Amanda Waller. "What do you want Waller? Nightwing demanded.

"What do you think of my team ."

"It's my team." Terry stepped forward and corrected.

"Who only listen to you because they know the consequences of not doing so. Or did you think I'd release a bunch of murders and thieves without leashes?"

"Again I ask, what do you want?" Dick inserted.

"I'm sending Powergirl to assist Project Batman Beyond and his team. I trust this won't cause any problems. Don't worry about her turning on you either, we found her additional Light programming and it's been removed." Dick didn't really care.

"So all we have to worry about is her Cadmus programming. I don't care who you put on your little wannabe Justice League Waller, but if any of them start to act like Ultiman 2.0 we will put them away." Amanda didn't flinch, as a matter of fact she added.

"And after you put them away I'll put them down. She's already on her way." Always needing the last word the director of cadmus cut the transmission there. Dick turned to Terry and asked.

"What does she have on your team mates?" Terry didn't hesitate to answer.

"She thinks they're all bombed like her little task force, but Robin and Zeta were able to quickly and easily remove them." This may actually be the source of another problem.

"And when Powergirl gets here and finds out your failsafes are all removed?" Beyond looks down at his wrist before replying.

"Lets find out, she's here." Tea walked into the main room being stared down by everyone already present.

"Robin." She said.

"It's Nightwing now." Dick answered.

"I know that. I was talking to Robin." As Powergirl grew closer Batgirl stood in between her and Damien.

"Cassandra, move." Damien ordered. Cassandra did in fact move but not before making a show of drawing an obvious kryptonite batarang and slowly moving it to another pouch. "What do you want Copy?"

"I heard you removed everyone's bombs." Everyone stiffened. "Could you do the same for me, or do I need to have a talk with ?" Damien seemed almost bored as he replied.

"I removed the devices from the others at Beyond's request because he trusted them. If you want yours removed ask him."

"Well Terry?"

"POWERGIRL!" The conversation was put on hold as Supegirl showed up and tackled Tea with everything she had. Sadly it wasn't enough. Powergirl caught her and pinned her to her chest, easily.

"Have you gotten weaker?" She taunted. "Calm down princess my orders, this time, are to help."

"Supergirl stand down." Nightwing ordered. She had no idea what was going on, but she trusted Dick so Kara stopped struggling.

"I'm sorry Galatea but I don't trust you, and if you want to inform Waller about the rest of us fine. We're prepared to face cadmus." Terry answered.

"I don't think that will be necessary." Tea said as she set Kara down. "I just have to get you to trust me right? I can work with that."

"Why would anyone ever trust you, your a killer?" Kara spat.

"So is Oliver Queen, Damien Wayne, Zeta, Zatanna, oh wait she didn't kill him, she just made that guy a vegetable. Don't get high and mighty with me." Powergirl replied smugly.

"Trust is earned clone." Damien chimed. Tea ground her teeth before calming and saying.

"I'm not what you people think I am, or at least I don't want to be."

"You'll get your chance to prove it, in time." Melanine came forward and added.

Away from everyone else Wally and Artemis were having a different discussion. "I'm not having this talk again, least of all here." Make that argument.

"Then when Artemis? Look at what this life does to people, Zatanna turned a guy's mind inside out."

"He really hurt a friend of her's."

"William is trying to kill a man."

"That man is responsible for Sin's death."

"Roy nearly killed Thea."

"That was an accident, and being down three people while they get their heads on straight makes this the worst time to quit, even if I wanted to." Wally couldn't believe what he was hearing, but kept at it.

"It's not just the extremes, I've known Dick long enough to know when he's hiding something big, and not just the ids of these bat clan guys. How come no one except the people who were there know anything about that big league meeting a while back. I'm sick of being sent head first into danger with only half the info."

"Wally I am not quitting, and I don't think you should either. But no matter what you decide, I am not quitting." The couple stared each other down waiting for one of them to budge. When it became apparent that wasn't going to happen Kid Flash said.

"I'm sorry Artemis, but when this whole clown situation get resolved I'm quitting, with or without you."

"Are you **threatening me**?" She practically hissed. Wally answered calmly, sadly.

"No, but I can't live this life. And I can't wait for you to become like Arsenal or Z or worse die."

"Then I guess that settles it." Artemis said holding back tears. "We're done."

"I guess we are."


	13. It gets Quiet

Several weeks went by were joker gang activity dropped to nearly zero, even the usually absent minded Beast Boy recognized this as the calm before a storm. In Central City Barry Allen raced alongside Wally West. "It's been to long since we're got to patrol together Kid."

"Sure, whatever you say Flash." Wally had yet to tell his uncle of his intentions. "Can we talk, more openly?" The scarlet speedster was taken back by the question but still nodded and lead his partner to an area they could talk as uncle and nephew. "There is something I need to talk to you about."

"You broke up with Artemis." Barry said with an understanding look.

"What? No, well I did but.. uh..."

"Wally, whatever it is you can always come to me. Thats what being allies means." If Barry had any idea how hard he was making this he wasn't showing it on his face.

"I wanna quit."

"What?" Flash thought he'd misheard.

"I don't want to be Kid Flash anymore."

"Well I hate to break it to you but, I've got quite a few years as Flash left." Barry replied.

"No Uncle Barry, I don't want to be a hero.. at all." A thick silence passed between the speedsters before Barry asked.

"When do you plan on quitting?"

"This Joker Clan thing seems pretty major. Not to mention the teams being down by three. I thought I'd wait for the Outlaws to get settled into their new teams and then leave when this clown mess is cleaned up." Wally explained slowly turning away. Barry walked over to Wally and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll all miss having you out here with us." Wally's jaw dropped as he turned back to Barry.

"Thats all."

"You've clearly put a lot of thought into this, and, to be honest, my nephew not risking his life everyday might actually give me a few more hours sleep." Kid thought Flash was just trying to be kind. "Wally, really, you've single handedly saved the world, if anyone has earned their retirement it's you."

"Then why haven't I ever lead a mission?"

"Because your not a leader.. uh, I mean.." Barry took a breathe and tried again. "You have the skills, and the brains to lead, but you'd never shine there. The best place for you is a team's inspiration. Leader's sometimes have to make cold choices for the good of all, you are your team's heart."

"Are you sure you don't need me?" Wally asked.

"I'll always need you Wally, but Flash will find someway to manage without the Kid." Barry reached out and hugged his nephew right as they received a call. "Silent alarm at The Flash Museum, ready?"

"There's also a not so silent alarm going off at Central Bank." KF informed. Flash smiled.

"Museum, betcha I get done first." And with that he was gone. Kid Flash found himself sporting a similar smirk as he arrived at the bank.

"I haven't taken anything."

"Jynx!" Smirk gone. "What are you doing?" Jynx placed her hands behind her back as she spoke.

"I heard about your recent problems and thought you might accept my help." How did everyone know.

"You wanna help me be single?" The dark sorceress blushed a deep scarlet.

"I meant help you with your shrinking teams. Your single? I just kind of thought you hero types just paired off after a few years." Kid Flash sighed.

"My pairing didn't work out so well."

"I'm sorry." Wally was still a little surprised by the sincerity he heard from Jynx at times. "Look I'd love to chat so I'm going to give you my number before the police get here." The former villain walked right up to Wally and placed a slip of paper in his hand. "I know it's not your call if they believe I'm really here to help, but I'd still like to hear from you." Leaving him speechless just as quickly as she'd appeared she left.

"Told you I'd finish first. Kid?" Flash asked having arrived at the bank several moments later. Finding Wally exactly where Jynx had left him.

"Excuse me Flash I need to see someone." Wally raced away made a call he never thought he'd make and met up with that person in mere minutes.

"So what do you think?" He asked.

"Jynx, as in Jynx of hive academy, as in Jynx of the Fearsome Five wants to turn over a new leaf and you came here. I'm supposed to meet Red Robin for a Clan Titans team up in a few hours. What do you want?" Beyond complained.

"Maybe I'm starting to believe you guys really are the heroes you claim to be. Red X and Ten could have easily finished me off, instead they saved my life."

"So you want Melanie's thoughts on your sorceress." Terry guessed.

"I knew Ten before. Batman and Robin aren't the only duos who've tangled with the royal flush gang. So, yeah, maybe I'd appreciate the opinion of a villain turned good."

"It's fine Beyond, I'm happy to talk with him." Ten stated joining them. Wally told Melanie everything that had happened at the museum, and added some of his history with Jynx. "This isn't as cut and dry as wether or not I think you can or what you think, people play roles for years. If you think she's sincere test her. It's not nice I know, but if she's going to watch your back she's going to be responsible for your life." Ten explained. "If you already trust her with it thats one thing." Wally shook his head furiously. "If not then you may as well test her early. Thats the best I can suggest." The young hero shook his head again. Did he trust Jynx that much? He wasn't sure, he wanted to, but he didn't know.

"Hey Melanie, how did the Bat Clan know they could trust you?"

"I don't know." She said looking to Beyond, who answered without hesitation.

"Instinct." Terry began. "One day I turned my back to her and nothing told me to turn back around. If you can't trust her you'll know."

" _What are you doing now?_ " Joker demanded. Luthor was inside the same bunker that housed Ultima. " _Lexi, I'm booored._ _Lex Lex Lex Lex Lex Lex Lex Lex._ " Luthor was finding it nearly impossible to concentrate.

"Shut up, you insufferable clown! I'll release you soon enough!"

" _Now that all your little light golfing pals are ready._ " Lex smiled to himself.

"My golfing pals have been waiting on that little family your so proud of."

" _Give me a break Lex I'm a new father. You can't expect me to just know how to handle them._ " Their conversation was halted by a knock at the door, which then opened to reveal Harley Quinn sporting her new business suit.

"Lexi I wanna talk to puddin." The Laughing Queen demanded. Luthor didn't even bother to face the woman.

"Then talk, he hears everything I hear and I need control at the moment.

" _You do not._ " Joker pouted. Harley wasn't quite ready to just surrender.

"Then you'll be kept up to date when I tell Mista J, but I'm not reporting to anyone except my PUDDIN!" Luthor turned to the deranged woman and sighed tediously.

"Make it quick, HA HA ha ha AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Harley bounced on her heels as the transformation took place. When it was finished she tackled the man that stood before her.

"PUDDIN!" Joker smiled down at Her.

"Harley, how's the kiddos hun?" Quinn stood and pulled her soulmate with her.

"We stopped the Super Losers from learning almost any thing about Gaggy." She replied happily. Joker kept smiling right along with her.

"What'd they find?"

"Oh just evidence that your alive."

"WHAT!?" Joker roared as he gave everything to backhanding Harley for her failure. To Joker's surprise Harley wasn't thrown or pushed back, or, judging from the smile she was still sporting, even a little put out.

"Oh, I've missed that hand brushing my cheek. And Puddin, even if they know your back, and accept it as fact, there is no way they can know your inside Lex. So don't worry so much, kay. Everything is going to go off without a hitch. Then Lex will make you a body of your own, and you and I, and the kiddies, can spend some quality time filling the world with laughter." Joker laughed.

"Harles your almost perfect. Get everyone ready we kick this party off in three days.


	14. Titans All

Tim understood Titans Tower wasn't a secret base, and he understood that Bruce wanted to get to know Damien, and investigate the Bat Clan. What he didn't understand is why his first mission as leader of the team had to be with them. "Where are these guys?" Garfield complained. "These guys are taking longer than Cyborg's updates."

"Beast Boy." Tim reprimanded.

"What?"

"They're here, and they brought a friend."

"An unknown friend of The Beyond?" Starfire asked.

"Actually." Red Robin corrected. "One of ours." Beyond entered the tower with Robin and Batgirl, with Kid Flash leading the way. "KF, what brings you over?" Wally looked to Tim and replied.

"Well originally I was going to patrol with Flash, but something came up that I wanted Ten's thoughts on, and when Beyond told me he was about to team up with the titans I invited myself along." The speedster seemingly appeared right beside the titans leader and whispered in his ear. "And no offense, but your our youngest team leader, and your taking charge of your friends right after going head to head with one of them. I just wanna keep an eye on you for a night If thats cool, your team, your call." Truthfully Tim wasn't to sure about being put in charge himself, and was happy to have Wally's help. Not that he'd admit it.

"You can stay if you want." He whispered back.

"So these collabs usually means we have someone to go after already right? Kid Flash asked.

"And you may wish you weren't here when you find out who." Red Robin stated walking over to the primary monitor. The half and half mask of one of the world's deadliest men appeared. "Our mission is the arrest of Slade Wilson, also known as Deathstroke the Terminator, or the destruction of one of his weapon caches."Tim took a moment to see if everyone understood the gravity of who they were after. "The League believes they've found several of Slade's weapon caches. We are to address this one." RR said pointing to a warehouse on the screen. "Any of these warehouses could house not only millions in weapons, including hundreds of slade-bots, but any member of Deathstroke's organization. Which is **not** limited to his daughter Ravager, personal body guard Terra, Plasmus, Cinderblock, and Match.

"Match?" Raven asked.

"Wilson was to ignorant to realize Superboy was a clone so he attempted to clone him. The further breakdown of the dna has left Deathstroke will a drooling mutt of a bizarro Superboy that, somehow, he's managed to train into an attack dog." Damien answered.

"Correct, and not including the chance of running into the man himself, this is just what we know about." Red Robin supplied. Damien and Cassandra shared a look before he spoke again.

'We will be the team that runs into Slade."

"Don't be paranoid." Cyborg said. "As many places as we're hitting, not even getting into all the ones we don't know about, do you know the odds of running into Deathstroke?" Robin stared down the metal titan.

"Your odds mean nothing to me. This is not something you can measure."

"Oh so you just magically feel we're gonna run into the head honcho." Beast Boy mocked.

"Nothing magical about it. My view just isn't as narrow as yours. I warned you, if your still caught off guard by his appearance you have only yourself to blame."

"Enough Robin." Beyond ordered. Wally eyed the boy, he'd had trouble believing it before, but now found it all to easy to convince himself this Robin was Bruce's blood son, even Dick didn't act that much like him.

"We'll enter the building in two teams." Tim continued. "I will lead the titans in a frontal assault while the Bat Clan, plus Kid Flash, hold position until requested."

"We're here to watch and do nothing?" Damien questioned.

"We have no idea how many they have, we may need your help to take down whoever we find. Or if there is simply to much opposition we may need the surprise of your help simply to escape." The newest Robin wasn't shy about his distaste of the plan but Terry said.

"Alright count on us. When do we leave?"

"Now."

The T-car and the R-cycle arrived at the warehouse side by side. "Keep your eyes open Titans." Red Robin ordered as they entered.

"Allow me to help." The warehouse came to life, becoming brightly lit revealing Deathstroke, Terra, Match, Felix Faust, Overload, and an army of Sladebots. "Really titans, what kept you?" Deathstroke taunted.

"Titans Go." Raven exchanged hexes with chunks of concrete, while Overload matched blasts with starbolts. Beast Boy turned into a rhino and charged the second generation clone. Cyborg stood face to face with Felix, lined his sonic cannon, and said.

"You know I never could tell Zatanna this, but I hate magic." These face offs held no contest to Red Robin tearing through drone after drone as they fruitlessly tried to block the path to their master.

"Not my favorite Robin, but you'll do for an appetizer." Tim charged and was easily countered, grabbed, and then released. "Surely Batman taught you better than that."

Outside Damien was growing restless. "They need assistance, now."

"Personally I agree, but we agreed to wait for RR's signal." Beyond replied. "We stay until we get it. Unless, someone who knows the titans a lot better than we do thinks we should go now." He finished turning to KF.

"The Titans know what they can handle, we wait for the signal." He replied, managing to hide the doubt in his thoughts.

Tim tried a flying sidekick and when that did nothing except get swatted away he went all the way to the ground and tried to sweep. Slade lifted his boot only to bring it down on Tim's ankle. "Pathetic, assure me I wasn't wrong to target the titans. I thought a team lead by a woman willing to strike with that kind of furiosity would at least amuse me. ARGH!" In his gloating Slade had missed the batarang being thrown that now stuck out of his shoulder.

"How's that for furiosity." Damien asked from his blind spot. Deathstroke pulled the shuriken out of his shoulder smiling.

"Two birds for the price of one."

"I didn't give the assistance order." Tim reprimanded from the ground.

"If you had any kind of sense you would have."

"You seem familiar boy. Hm, must be the bird costume." Slade stepped off Red Robin and rushed Robin, sword drawn. Awaiting the clash Damien drew a blade of his own. Beyond flew around thinning the Sladebot herd, while Batgirl protected an unconcious Beast Boy from Match. Kid Flash raced to Red Robin.

"I never gave the order KF." Tim repeated as Wally helped him to his feet.

"Yeah I know, but when I told them to hang around and wait Robin pretty much ignored me and took off. Luckily to, I think your ankle might be broken."

"Why would it be broken? An assassin with super strength just stomped on it is all." Cassandra Cain dodged and evaded the degregated clone, but with the green titan in her arms found attacking difficult.

"That is enough, please." Starfire roared and gathered additional power before unloading on Overload. Starfire defeated her enemy but left herself completely drained. Raven having already beaten Terra caught the sleeping Tamaranian.

"Hey guys, we're still losing." Even though Overload and Terra were down so were Starfire, Red Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg had just been knocked out by Felix. Beyond landed next to RR and KF. "The munitions here have been destroyed, but I don't think we have the man power to cart anyone off to jail. We need to count our victories and escape." Leaping away from Damien Slade landed directly in front of Faust.

"Time to show them why your here Felix. Match!" At his master's beckon the clone ceased its battle with Batgirl and joined Deathstroke. The dark mage began repeating an incantation. In the middle of the fifth time Felix and Match both vanished.

"Looks like your court mage abandoned you Slade, and even took your dog, cold." Beyond taunted. The Sladebots were leveled, and all Deathstroke's backup was down or gone, or so they thought. In the blink of an eye Slade was in front of Terry and choke slammed him.

"Slade!" Tim yelled flying right at the villain. Slade raised his hand which began to glow, as did Red Robin. The young hero flew right into Wilson's waiting hand.

"Still haven't figured it out yet. Faust and Match aren't gone, they're in here." He stated pointing at himself with his free hand. Damien took in his surroundings and gave the evacuation order.

"Witch girl get whoever can make it to you out of here now." Raven was taken back, not only by the order, but the person giving it to her.

"We can't just abandon people like that Robin." Kid Flash shouted.

"We have to. The longer this fight goes on the more we lose." Raven stretched out to confirm Damien's emotions and when finding pure intentions and a calm mind she made the nearly impossible action of leaving behind her friends. "Batgirl!" Damien called.

"Come on RR, we've got to go." Wally said picking up Tim. Raven called her soul self preparing to jump.

"Sorry KF, but they need you more than me."

"Wha.." Tim stuck a tranq into Wally's neck and pushed him inside Raven's soul self.

"Robin!" Tim roared. "Get them out of here I'll hold him as long as I can." Before Damien could reply he was hit with the limp body of Garfield Logan. As an unencumbered Cassandra Cain took her place beside Tim Drake. Without a word Damien dragged Beast Boy out and the raven avatar dispersed. Clear across Jump City at a local pizza palor is where the five heroes who managed to get away materialized.

"Where are we?" Starfire asked as she came to.

"Pizza Corner." Raven informed. "We retreated."

"Wha!?" Beast Boy had awoken as well.

"A moment and I'll explain." Robin answered. He was preparing an injection to bring about Kid Flash.

"RR!" Wally shouted. "Where are we? How far away? What direction do I need to run?"

"Flash!" Robin shouted. "Your panic accomplishes nothing. " The young speedster jumped to his feet and grabbed the boy.

"Why did you order us to leave? What gives you the right? Your not even the leader of your team." Damien flipped the meta human and slammed him on the floor of the pizza place's patio.

"Had we remained we would also have been captured. Now on your feet I'll need you to draw fire during their rescue."

"Their rescue! Slade is a killer there isn't anyone left to rescue you **little know it all**!" Wally's words shocked the titans to their cores.

"Deathstroke is a mercenary, he won't kill them himself. He'll sell them to people who want to kill them. We have two hours to save them, if that."

"You really think they're alive." Kid Flash looked at him hopeful.

"One hour fifty eight minutes, and losing time."

"Dude we had all the titans and your friends to back us up the first time around. What can a Robin wannabe, Star, Rae, KF, and I do." Beast Boy groaned.

"I to share friend Beast Boy's uncertainty." Starfire added.

"If you care so little for your friends then leave." Damien chided. As Robin turned away from them Wally thought of his uncle's words.

"Hey!" He shouted at their self elected leader. "We may not have your training, and I'm even willing to admit you have a scary amount of foresight, enough that even you have to admit you need us." The son of Batman said nothing so Flash's nephew continued. "And all of you stop acting like we're starting this mission all over again. Overload and all the sladebots are down, and even if Terra is back up and ready for round two, Deathstroke will remained fused with Felix and Match."

"I knew that." Robin stated. "Which is why your enhanced speed will be one of the few forces able to rescue everyone in the short amount of time the rest of us will be able to hold him off."

"Right, so four on two for as long as it takes me, **me of all people** , to get everyone to safety. In and out, we've got this. Our friends need us, and I am more than ready to jump back in the fray to save them. Because there isn't a doubt in my mind wether or not they'd do the same for me."

"You really think we can do it?" Garfield asked.

"Whats the fastest animal in the world?"

"The peregrine falcon."

"Largest land based animal?" Wally quizzed again.

"Elephants."

"Who's your best friend?"

"Cyborg." The immature shape shifter stopped. The choice was really that easy, Slade had his best friend.

"Raven, Starfire who's gone out of their way more than anyone else to make you feel at home?"

"Red Robin." The friends replied together, smiling at one another.

"With Robin leading the way and our combined power we will save everyone. Raven if you'd please." Raven's soulself swallowed them again, dropping them just outside the very warehouse they'd just retreated from.

"How were you able to rally them?" Damien asked refusing to look at the speedster. Wally only smiled.

"It's great to be the brain Robin, but remember your team also needs a heart."

"Ridiculous. Why?"

"Our minds tell us how we're going to fight." Wally informed. "Our hearts remind us what we're fighting for."

"I see." Damien smirked before continuing. "I didn't know that."

"So how are we busting in?" Beast Boy asked.

"Your advancing alone." Garfield turned from a vibrant green to visibly gray. "As a fly, we need to know everyone's exact location before striking." With a little bit of luck Garfield was able to advance on the warehouse find the exact position of Deathstroke, still fused, Terra, back on her feet, and all of their allies. Slade seemed to be talking to someone on the monitor he was facing. He even made it back and reported without stumbling through his explanation.

"Changling, you and the meta will rescue everyone while the alien and the witch quickly handle Terra. I will face Deathstroke alone until the geomancer is defeated."

"You could learn our names." Wally stated.

"I know your names." he replied.

"Ok we're ready, but you gotta say it." Beast Boy demanded.

"Say what?" Damien asked.

"Don't even try that, just say it." Kid Flashed said.

"Yes you must say it." Starfire joined.

"It is customary for the leader of the titans." Raven informed. Robin saw no way around it.

"Very well, Titans Go!" The team of five broke back into the warehouse. Terra pulled up the chunk of ground she was standing on and flew at Raven. Kid Flash raced right past Deathstroke, who didn't even move. Robin advanced on his enemy steadily, sword drawn watching for the slightest movement. Slade began to close the gap, the barely had a chance to speed walk before their blades clashed.

"I knew I recognized this feeling. You fight like an Al Ghul, boy."

"I was trained by the League of Shadows." Slade swung from overhead which Damien side stepped. Across from that battle Raven was trying to cancel Terra's powers with her own, Starfire launched dual starbolts and swooped in with a powerful right hook..

"Terra is finished. How does the Kid Flash and Beast Boy fare with rescue?"

"I can only see Beyond and RR, so lets hope thats all thats left. We need to get Robin out of here."

"Does it not feel like we could win the day?" Raven hated to crush her friend's hopes.

"Some of our friends need medical attention, and Deathstroke has to much power for us to handle unprepared. There is also no doubt, in my mind, that he has backup coming." As the girls approached him Damien leapt from Slade and leapt once more from a blast of magic.

"Witch, Alien the metas have released our team mates. It is time to leave." Deathstroke tried to stop them but Felix's magic was nothing compared to Raven's. They fled, weapon cache destroyed, friends rescued. Not the victory they'd expected in the beginning but more than enough. With everyone returned to Titans Tower Starfire asked.

"Friends, what prevents the terminator from simply coming here?"

"Even Deathstroke doesn't have the power to come at us directly." Tim answered. "If we meet him out there, we might get help. If he attacks us here we'll receive a lot of help."

"What?" Cyborg questioned.

"Even the league is smart enough to know you must make an example of anyone who attacks you at home." Damien said. Tim stood right in front of the newest Robin.

"KF and Raven told us what you did for us. Thank you."

"This is unnecessary." He looked from Tim to Wally. "I'm well aware of what I'm fighting for."


	15. Fathers and Sons

"Is it time yet?"

"No."

"When then?"

"Soon."

"How soon?"

"I don't know Bonk, now shut up."

"Hey mom says you shouldn't talk to me like that. I'd listen to her." Shiv and Bonk were waiting for their 'parents' and the rest of the family. According to Harley, Joker had a really big plan coming up.

"I'll talk to you how ever I please. We may call you our big brother, but everyone knows Duela and I are next in line after mom and pop."

"My my how sure you sound."

"Dad!" Bonk exclaimed.

"Heya pops, yeah why wouldn't I be?" Joker had just arrived at the meet with Harley and Wolf at his side. "Where's Duela?" The Clown Prince of Crime shared his trademark grin with his heir.

"Daddy's precious angel is putting some of the finishing touches on our big caper."

"And she is so sorry for being late daddy." Last to arrive Duela entered with the 'twins' on either side. Harley spoke to her children.

"Give us some good news sweeties."

"The Gagging Giggles are ours." Bonk replied.

" So are the Laughing Lynches..."

"..And the Children of the Clown." Dee Dee reported. Joker tapped his chin wondering who named these gangs.

" _What's the matter Joker? The names not funny enough for you?_ " Lex added.

"The Ha ha's and The Funnymen both await your orders dad." Shiv smirked.

"And Wolf and I personally added credibility to the claims of Harley's Hyenas, Puddin." Harley finished.

" _Excellent, with this everything is almost ready. Prepare your generals clown._ "

" _Lex do I tell you how to polish your scalp?_ " Joker eyed his family before continuing. "Oh Harley, kiddies, your old man is plum proud of all you've done. It's almost time to kick this show off. Shiv you and Wolf will pull the Ha Has and the Funnymen together and as our largest force take Gotham. Bonk you did such a good job taking over Gaggy's little troop, you can have them."

"Gee thanks dad." Bonk beamed.

"Duela hun, take Dee Dee and round up the lynches and the C.o.t.C., hm good thing they aren't the Children of creepy Clowns, heh heh heh heh." Only Shiv and Harley smiled at Joker's dry humor. "Harley I have some special planned for us and your hyenas."

"Should I get the scuba gear?" Harley asked.

"That would be real helpful, NOW EVERYONE GET OUT, you have jobs to do."

"Another playdate, I fail to see the point." Damien once more walked through the Fortress of solitude, but this time his father lead the way.

"You've clearly demonstrated your ability to handle Connor and Jon, but today you won't be training against them."

"Then who?" Damien's realized the answer to his own question as the entered the same training room as last time which alread housed Connor Hawke, Jon Kent, as well as Superman and the Green Arrow. "The three of us against the three of you? I'd fair better alone."

"Not an option, as the youngest recipients of the league's legacy you need to at least have a working relationship with them. You will have fifteen minutes to converse and prepare, join your team mates." After that Batman walked away from Robin as joined the man of steel and the emerald archer. As Damien walked over Jon greeted him warmly as though he had not throughly embarrassed him last time he'd been there.

"Hi Robin, what have you been up to?"

"Saving the incompetent members of teams your not even trusted enough to join." The young half krytonian recoiled slightly before smiling sheepishly and replying.

"Yeah I heard about how you lead the charge to save the Teen Titans. Nice going. So got any plans for handling them." Jon pointing at their father's.

"Batman is the only one who concerns me."

"Why am I not surprised you have daddy issues." Connor chimed. Damien, never one to back down from a challenge, retorted.

"The Dark Knight is the only one of the three to actually be concerned with. Superman can easily be dealt with with some kryptonite, and Oliver Queen simply doesn't have my father's natural skill, training, or preparation."

"Excuse me!" Connor shouted starting towards the boy wonder, until Jon quickly stepped between them.

"Even if thats true." He began. "Then you must believe Batman is prepared for you to underestimate Connor's father, and use kryptonite. If those aren't options, and heaven forbid you actually need us, whats a good team manuver."

"Your powers are at the very least comparable to your father's?"

"I could hold him off for a bit." Jon answered proudly. Damien grimaced.

"Define a bit."

"My best one on one time against dad is ten minutes, but I think he was going easy on me."

"Regardless of who doesn't like it, Green Arrow is the weakest link in that chain." Damien said pointing to their fathers. "Three minutes, thats the amount of time we have to remove him from the equation to have any chance of victory."

"You wanna beat my dad, in **three minutes**."

"I can do it, with minimal assistance."

"Thats as close as your going to get to asking me for help isn't it?" Connor huffed. "Fine, I'll help you tag team my father from the word go."

"No our first strike must be to assure Batman can not assist him. We will not defeat him in one strike, but with a large enough spread we may seperate them long enough to eliminate the archer." The boys laid out their plan with Jon occasionally preventing arguments.

"Times up." Batman announced. Without another word Bruce threw a batarang right at Connor, which Jon blew away. Superman then charged and tackled his son away. Before the boys could react at all an explosive batarang was thrown between them, leaving them with no choice but to leap in different directions, away from each other.

" _They came up with the same plan!_ " Damien thought. Before Robin could rush to his team mates aid Connor was quickly taken out by the combined efforts of Green Arrow and Batman. Oliver fired his trademark boxing glove arrow which the son of Batman evaded. Damien attempted to charge the pair but had barely gone two feet when he had to dodge another arrow and deflect a batarang with his sword. In the air Jon was barely managing to avoid his father's quick and powerful attacks.

"Your improving Jon." Clark complimented his son. The praise was followed, however, with heat vision. Jon attempted to match his father, and to his shock it held long enough for him to move away. The boy rushed his father only to hit a brick wall. After running head first into his father Superman apologized before clasping his hands together and slamming them into Jon's head. On the ground barely managing to lose ground slowly Robin heard the impact of his team mate's crash landing. Damien threw an explosive batarang of his own, and another, and another chasing Batman with them but primarily watching Green Arrow. Having finally seperated the pair he tried to rush the emerald archer. Oliver made no move to stop him. Robin came down with his sword which GA caught with his bow, before kicking the boy square in the gut.

"I was trained by the League of Assassins to Damien, among others."

"I don't need others." Damien was about to charge again when he was stopped by the cable of Batman's grappling hook. Slicing the cord he moved away only to find Superman at his back.

"Surrender Damien your surrounded with no assistance." Bruce ordered.

"I was taught to die before surrendering." Damien took a strange silly putty looking substance from his utility belt and threw it at Superman. Realizing all to late that the substance was a kryptonite blend it spread in air before sticking to most of Clark's upper body. This small victory was short lived as the knockout arrow laned at his feet and sleep over took him.

"What was that?" Superman asked after Green Arrow froze and removed the putty. "He was prepared to die before submit in a training exercise."

"I know you haven't had to deal with them much Clark, but the League of Shadows isn't exactly forgiving of failure." Oliver explained.

"And Damien was raised by them most of his life." Bruce sighed. "I'll discuss with Terry working on his people skills."

"With all due respect Bruce, why ask Terry anything? He's your son." Oliver asked.

"First and foremost he's Robin, Beyond's Robin."

"Bruce, I know that a young man who's the spitting image of yourself showing up out of no where is unsettling, but I'm going to throw your own words right back at you from when we first met Con-El. He's your son, he needs his father." Superman stated.

"Fair enough I will instead discuss with Selena and Terry the idea of Damien moving into Wayne Manor. Your right Clark, he's my son, and I've missed enough of his life."

"YOU CHEATED!" Jon came forward accusing.

"You could see it that way." Green Arrow stated. "But our plan from the very beginning was to steal whatever plan you came up with and see if you could work together instinctively.

"WELL WE CAN'T!"

" **Jon.** " Clark said.

"Sorry Dad."

"You'll get another chance, now collect your friends, please."

"Yes sir."


	16. Half a Showdown

"Why are we here?" Dee asked. Shiv had called a meeting of all the Joker children.

"Pops tired of waiting, he wants to kick things off now." The would be Joker Kimg replied.

"Why don't we hear this from him?" Bonk wanted to know. At the underlying accusation Wolfe growled.

"Easy boy no need to get upset." D said scratching Wolfe behind the ear.

"Shut up mutt." Dee added kicking at the hybrid.

"Hey leave Shiv's dog alone." Duela ordered.

"Hey over here." Shiv demanded. "I've already prepared everything. All the gangs have very simple step by step instructions. Just like ma used to give us, remember Duela?" She smiled and nodded before he continued. "They can tear the world apart without us babysitting them. But it's gonna be hard to keep the fun going once the Justice League or the justice juniors get involved."

"You wanna take out the Justice League?" D questioned.

"How do you plan on doing that?" Dee also wondered.

"The league isn't the real problem, mom and dad could handle those losers in their sleep. We need to take care of the bats. All of them." Shiv informed. This peaked the interest of all his siblings, Duela walked over, wrapped her arms around Shiv, and nipped at his ear.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Something big and flashy, in true Joker fashion. I've set bombs all over Gotham and informed our boys to steer clear of most of those areas. We announce that we'll detonate them unless all the bats meet us here at Gotham arena. What do you say brothers, sisters, wanna wipe Batman and everyone like him off the face of the earth?"

"I'm with you." Duela chimed.

"Dee Dee?"

"We're with you." The twins replied.

"Bonk, Wolfe?"

"We're with you." Bonk grumbled.

"All together, if you'd please."

"We're with you."

"Awww, you know never was a big family kind of guy, but you guys are gonna make me cry." Shiv chuckled. It only took a few minutes for Shiv and his siblings to finish preparing the broadcast signal. "Evening Gotham, my name is Shiv, but someday you will come to know me as the Joker King. This is a message for all the bats of the world. We, the true family of the Joker have planted some party favors all over this piss stain of a city and while watching them pop does sound like a lot of fun, we won't if every flying rodent, and only them, join us at Gotham arena. This is of course a trick, but I know you'll join us on the field anyways, heh heh heh."

In the Batcave Bruce was already gathering Nightwing and the rest of the bat family. "We're actually going to meet that mad man's demands?" Nightwing asked.

"All of you are. Catwoman and I will handle the explosives." Batman answered.

"Well lets get going." Barbara added in full Batgirl attire.

"Barbara, your staying behind to coordiante between the family and clan." Bruce decreed.

"Who ever's going we need to go clowns aren't know for their ability to sit still and wait." Red Hood added.

"We need all hands on deck, they need me." Barbara suggested.

"We do need you. You have the best chance of finding those bombs before people are seriously hurt, and you can't do that and go to the arena." Selena said placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. After one last huff Oracle settled into position at the bat computer as everyone she cared about rushed off.

Nightwing landed just outside the arena and wait for the Beyond-mobile to land beside the dual bat planes. "How many of those do you have?" Terry asked.

"Including the latest model they have six." Damien answered. Helena looked the newest Robin, her half brother, up and down, she wanted to trust him, but wasn't sure if she could.

"Where are Powergirl and Zeta?" Tim asked.

"We didn't want to take the chance that Shiv would just take our word a robot and a kryptonian clone were members of the bat clan." Beyond explained.

"We don't know what were going up against but we have to at least keep them occupied long enough for Batman and Catwoman to take care of the explosives." Nightwing informed them.

"Bat clan listen up!" Terry began. "Oracle is busy, so if it comes down to it, I just want to make it clear, the leader of this mission is Nightwing."

"Thank you." Dick replied. "Robin if we only encounter the 'family' members we saw in Shiv broadcast how do you think we should pair off?" Damien regarded Dick for a moment.

"Based on our limited knowledge, the capabilities of X's and Beyond's suits make them the best chance against Bonk. Huntress should, single handedly, address the girl who attacked Kid Flash, Batgirl and Ten should easily be able to handle those women who came to Bonk's aid, and the remaining reds should target the hybrid."

"Leaving Shiv for us." Nightwing smirked.

"I expect us to finish first." Robin added returning the grin.

"Alright you have your targets, but we're supposed to be bats, so stay in the shadows as long as possible." Dick had to admit Shiv had chosen a good place to meet vigilantes who used shadows as one of their primary weapons. From their positions across the arena they could easily see Shiv, waiting in the middle of the brightly lit arena. Nightwing dropped in front of him.

"Ooo nice entrance, Batman at home washing his tights?" Shiv sneered.

"You don't have to do this Shiv, we could fight and break each other, or you could just as easily disable the bombs, turn yourself in, and get some help."

"Nah, I like being crazy heh heh heh heh heh heh." While Shiv laughed Bonk rushed Nightwing from one side, while Wolfe charged from the other. Neither villain made it as Beyond flew into Bonk, and RR swooped into Wolfe, Hood and X dropped into sight and joined their partners. "Now thats more like it. " Shiv continued. "How about we both tip our hands." Duela and Dee Dee ran from either locker room.

"Fine." Cassandra and Melanie cut off the twins, while Huntress actually whistled for Duela's attention. Damien landed right beside Dick, who still had not moved to confront Shiv.

"What did you think talking to him was going to do?"

"Give me the piece of mind that at least I tried. Ready?" Nightwing drew his escrima, while Robin pulled his sword.

"Oooo showdown style huh?" Shiv transformed both his hands into long swords, and charged. Hard light constructs clashed with metal as the bang baby clashed with the heroes. Shiv swung at Nightwing and was caught in the back by Robin, when he tried to retaliate Dick took his feet out from under him. "Heh thought I'd at least be able to pick off the little one." Shiv quipped before surrounding his entire body in the same energy his ability allowed him to generate. Bounding to his feet he turned to back to them. "Round two boys."

Huntress couldn't believe it but the clown was fighting on par with her. "Who are you?"

"My name is Duela, first daughter of the Joker, future Queen of Laughter, and Shiv's right hand." Huntress did a flying spin kick across the side of the clown's face.

"You know, you could have stopped after Duela."

Beyond and Red X were having no luck with Bonk, even with the advanced technology of their suits. "This guy just doesn't know when to stop does he?" X asked.

"He's definitely been eating his Wheaties." Beyond agreed. Terry threw dual explosives while X formed a makeshift sword. The blasts did little to the brute and the blade broke on contact.

"You think your gonna stop me with toys like that?"

"Sorry I forgot my rubber ducky." Beyond quipped.

"See if you like this any better." Red X fired his expanding confinement xs. Only not one, or two, but a barrage. Red X kept firing until the material covering Bonk was a large, misshapen oval showing only his head. This small victory was short lived as Bonk tore through even that many layers.

"I don't like being tucked in."

"Hold still, you little..." Hood was having a hard time pinning down Wolfe. "RR little help."

"Why does everyone assume I'm not helping just because I'm not kicking or shooting something?" Tim asks as he swoops in and catches Wolfe in the jaw with both his feet.

"Might have a little to do with this being a fight." Hood supplied shooting at the Hyena and narrowly missing again.

"Watch and shut the hell up Hood." Red Robin says as he presses a button on his belt. All at once Wolfe doubles over in pain, clutching his ears. Red Hood quickly shackles the beast's hands and feet.

"Neat trick, now who do you wanna help out next?" Without either of them noticing, before it was to late, Wolfe removed a vial from his jacket and drank the entire thing. Before the eyes of both reds the hybrid himself turned bright red and ripped free of his cuffs.

"Is getting help an option?" RR asked.

"Oh KIDDIE'S!" Every pair of eyes in the arena turned to the south entrance, standing in the doorway was none other than The Clown Prince of Crime himself. "Now, now I wonder who kicked off this little get together? Who, who, who I wonder?" The combatants, good and evil, stood frozen watching Joker's every move. "Well regardless of who did it this has moved up our time table considerately. Men to your stations!" The silence in the arena deafened. "I'm not talking to myself here, I do that enough already." Shiv turned and faced Nightwing.

"Looks like our playdate's been cut short. Everyone we're out." Bonk threw Beyond into Red X, as Duela tased Huntress, while Wolfe in his rabid form cleared the way for Dee Dee and Shiv. "It's not just the bat and pops now Nightguy. We're next, you know what they say like father like son heh heh heh heh heh." Shiv taunted as he ran past his 'father'.

"Sorry about that kids will be kids you know. Oh this place is about to..." Before the clown could finish his statement it seemed like a different bomb was going off everywhere in the arena all at once. Nightwing and Robin sprang into action saving Beyond and Red X, while everyone else focused on getting themselves out.

"Was that..? I mean that was really..?" Tim stammered.

"It was the Joker." Damien interrupted. They stood there letting the weight of what they'd seen sink in.

"What about the bombs?" Helena asked.

"If they were going to go off, they already would be." Jason said.

"If they ever existed in the first place." Dick added. "Joker actually came to get them himself, and he even said to your stations. Whatever this is it just started."


End file.
